Another Heart Calls
by Lighting.Up.Thee.Sky
Summary: A/N: Jar of Hearts Rewrite: When The Black Circle becomes an imminent threat to the Red Fountain Warriors and the Alfea Avengers, they have no choice to band together to protect their territory, their hearts, and most importantly: each other.
1. Another Heart Calls

Rewrite. Jars of Hearts. I'm obsessed with this story and I want to rewrite what my awful sixteen year old self wrote... Please forgive my old writing. It really was atrocious. This time, this story will have developed plot lines, characters, descriptions, etc.

Rewrite: Another Heart Calls

P.S. I've been slightly inspired from One Tree Hill as I've binge-watched all nine seasons in an entire month. I'm in love. And Musa's character might be inspired by Peyton as I relate the two together.

* * *

 _"Do you remember when we didn't care_

 _We were just two kids that took the moment when it was there_

 _Do you remember you at all_

 _Another heart calls-"_

 _-All American Rejects_

* * *

Musa drove along the freeway with her windows down, blaring Tiesto's new album as she drove back towards her home from the international airport. Summer was officially coming to an end. For her, that meant no more vacationing in private villas in Europe with her father. Aside from his few "clients," he actually spent real bonding time with her. That was the first time they had consistently spent a long period of time together since her mother's passing five years ago. Together, they spent a day in the Vatican, they vacationed several days in Florence and Rome indulging in real wines and gelato. Of course their trip consisted of backpacking through Scotland and Ireland and watched the aurora borealis in Iceland. Summer had been good for her- real good.

She had spent a whole summer away from Gardenia, no technology aside from the few emails she had sent to her friends at computers at random cafes. She had ditched social media and brought along her travel journal. She also had compiled a list of her top college choices and career options. By doing so, she had a way out of Gardenia.

Leaving Gardenia was something many did not do. Once you are in, you are in forever. One night after a long night of drinking a variety of wines, her and her father had an adult conversation over poker and cigars. He said, "Musa, when you graduate, you are going away to college. We are moving away from this town and starting our lives over. Never get caught up in this stuff, it will stay with you forever." Musa nodded along, knowing exactly what her father meant. Gardenia was not a town full of friendly occupants.

He finished the conversation, "I want to do what your mother always had planned for us."

Musa turned her attention back to the road once she saw her exit.

 **GARDENIA 1/4 mile**

Even though she had an incredible summer, there was a small part of her that was relieved to return to her friends- Brandon, Flora, Bloom, Techna, Nabu, and Helia. She sure did miss them and their quirks. Summer was fun, but it wasn't the final summer that one is supposed to have with their friends before their senior year.

The sun was beginning to set and dusk was rolling over. The clouds were no longer white and puffy; the sky was no longer blue. Instead, the sky was embedded with a variety of different hues. Many were pinks, oranges, yellows, and blues. The sky was captivating and it was one of the only things beautiful about Gardenia.

She would be home in roughly five minutes.

Growing restless with the current album playing, Musa turned her head towards her CD case and flipped through the book, searching for a different album. At the same time she was distracted, a man was walking across the street, dribbling a basketball. After finally finding the CD, she glanced up and she was about to collide with a person.

 _(Yes, I took this similar scene from One Tree Hill)_

Musa quickly responded by slamming her foot onto her breaks. She lowered her head towards her steering wheel and closed her eyes. After what felt like minutes, she opened lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She exhaled a breath when she realized she did not kill the person in front of her. In fact, she had missed him by a few inches.

The man walking across the sidewalk appeared be none other than Riven Harrington. He took his headphones out of his ears and stared at her inquisitively. After a few seconds, Musa raised her hands and motioned him on his way. He tossed her one last look before putting his headphones back in his ears and continued on his way to wherever he was going.

Befuddled, she shook her head and slowly drove away. Riven Harrington, an old friend, was now a distant memory. When was the last time had they spoken to each other?

* * *

The sun set and it was now ten o'clock. An abandoned building was filing with senior students from Gardenia Heights. Every year, someone exclusively threw a party for the Gardenia senior class in an abandoned building in the midst of nowhere. The person throwing the party was always a Gatsby type figure. No one knew who the host was and no one questioned because it was one night where all differences were to be set aside. It was one night where the two conflicting rivals (Alfea Avengers and Red Fountain Warriors) were forbidden to fight one another.

"I cannot believe we are seniors," Stella brought her glass to her lips and sipped on her alcoholic beverage. The summer kickoff, whoever it is hosted by, is always the party of the year. Everyone was in a pleasant mood, as they have had all summer to spend away from the drama, fighting, etc. It was particularly everyone's favorite day because they could indulge in a day without violence and everyone could let their guards down.

"We pretty much own the school now," Sky said while approaching his group of friends with several cups of alcohol. Stella, Riven, Layla, and Timmy, Jason, and Flora were gathered together on the upper-deck of the building. They were overlooking the bottom floor to the party. The senior class was out on the dance floor dancing with one another.

"We have one more year of this bullshit," Riven tipped the bottle of his drink back. Cool, dark liquid splashed against his lips.

"And we only have one more year with her... look what the cat dragged in," Stella scoffed as a certain brunette walked through the entrance to the party. Momentarily after she walked through the doorway, she was greeted with cheers, hugs, and a kiss from her boyfriend.

Riven placed his drink on the ledge of the upper-deck and turned to his friends. "She almost hit me today with her car."

"Musa?" Timmy asked.

"Yeah, then she got mad at me for being in her way and motioned for me to hurry along."

"You know, that is the first time I have seen her all summer," Flora commented. "Actually, I haven't seen her or her father the entire summer. As her neighbor, you would have thought I would have seen someone at least once. Her house sat vacant."

"I heard she went on some European summer vacation," Stella responded in a bored tone.

"Her father probably went over there to visit his clientele. You know he is pretty infamous for that," Sky said in a careless manner. Nobody in Gardenia was innocent. Everyone was involved in their own type of mysterious business and nobody questioned otherwise. It as the typical behavior in the city.

"Who cares about her dad, is it me, or did she get hotter over the summer?" Jason asked, eyeing her across the room. Musa was dressed in a tight fit, low-cut, red dress that hugged her body in all the right places and black wedges that gave her a few more inches, which happened to accent her lingering legs. Her hair hung almost down to her waste and she had this aurora around her; it was impeccable.

"Ow," Jason grasped his shin after Stella kicked him.

Defending his friend from Stella's death stare, Sky casually said while raising his hands for truths, "Look, she's attractive. Hell she's hot, but it doesn't mean we are into her or we like her because we don't. After all, she's an Avenger and we don't bang those girls. But we are allowed to look."

"Whatever."

"Please, don't act like you don't eye Brandon occasionally," Riven smirked. He had been watching Stella friend all night observe and study the alpha male. He had spent most of his night leaning in front of a beam, searching from the crowd. Presumably, he was searching for Musa.

"Fuck off Riven Harrington."

Stella sharply turned her body away from her friends and walked along the railing. She sauntered away but not without throwing her friends another vindictive glare.

"Way to go. She's going to be pissed forever," Jason exhaled a loud sigh.

"Hey, not my fault she commented on Musa's hotness," Riven laughed.

Sky raised his eyebrow in his friends direction. "You just called Musa hot."

Smirking, Riven replied, "Never said she wasn't."

* * *

 _(This is occurring at the same time as Riven/friends are on the upper-deck)_

Brandon rubbed the palms of his hands against his cargo shorts while he eagerly waited for his girlfriend to come home. It had been too long since he had last seen her.

"Are you nervous?" Bloom asked.

"No," Brandon laughed. "Maybe a little. I'm just excited that she is back home."

"Well here, I thought you could use one of these. I got two just in case," Bloom extended her arm towards Brandons' and handed him the liquid in the solo cup. Only moments passed before he brought the liquid to his lips.

"Thanks, I needed this."

"So where is everyone?" Bloom asked. Brandon was always especially observant of his close friends and his group. He was always surveying the room to see where his friends were at. Just in case a fight broke out, he wanted to be there to protect them. As a leader, it was his role to protect and guide everyone.

"Well Layla and Helia are out on the dance floor."

"You know, he doesn't seem like much of a dancer," Bloom asked. Surprisingly, Layla and Helia had been dating the longest out of everyone in the group. Since freshmen year they had been together. However, they were total opposites.

"No, but sometimes dancing is better than dealing with Layla's wrath. Techna went to the restroom and Jared is talking to the DJ."

"Ahh, well I saw Mitzi flirting with some sophomore boy a little bit ago," Bloom drew from her memory.

"Doesn't surprise me."

Bloom was about to say something until she observed the look on Brandon's face transform from calm and collective to happy and jittery. It was quite the facial light up.

"Come on," Brandon grabbed Bloom's arm and pushed past the crowd of people.

"Brandon," Musa excitedly yelled and she ran and jumped into his arms. After a few seconds of kissing him, Brandon put her back on the ground.

"Bloom," Musa gushed and threw her arms around her friend and soon all of her friends encircled her.

* * *

It had been a good night thus far. Everyone was dancing to music, singing along to the songs, and drinking freely. What was even better was that everyone was getting along and for once, the great divide seemed to be nonexistent. The Warriors were getting along with the Avengers and vice versa. Of course, in two days, the divide would exist again and the war would begin again.

After several drinks, Musa pulled away from Brandon's arms. He was engaged in a conversation with a younger Avenger.

"Hey where are you going?" Brandon interrupted his conversation and turned towards Musa.

"I'm hot, I'm going to get some air. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Want me to come with you?" Brandon questioned.

"No, stay here and talk. I won't be gone long and besides we have all night together," Musa winked and walked away.

...

It was quiet, just the way Musa liked it. She stared at the night sky and casually sipped on her drink. Sure she loved a party like the next person, but she also loved her freedom and space.

Momentarily, the wind picked up and blew against Musa's skin. Suddenly, there was eerie feeling surrounding her and it wasn't from the wind blowing. Musa trusted her instincts and she picked up that something wasn't right.

"And what do we have here?" A raspy voice spoke.

That voice- Musa knew that voice from anywhere. It sent chills up her spine and it made her cringe with hate. She turned her head sharply and started into dark orbs. Standing a few feet from her was Mandragora. He was a man with a very, very dark soul.

"Mandragora," She sourly spat.

"Musa, you are looking fine tonight. You shouldn't wear dresses that tight, you know what it does to me," He laughed, stepping onto the patio. Before taking another step forward, he brought his brown paper bag to his lips.

She took a step back, separating herself from him. She quickly glanced around her surroundings. If she screamed, no one would hear her as the music was playing too loud. It would be hard to run inside as he was standing near the door. Her only option was to fight like hell if he attacked her.

"You need to leave," Musa growled, putting her arms in front of her, getting ready to defend herself.

"Hey, don't be like this. I'm only here to play." His laugh echoed the once quiet back yard.

"You're sick. You need help," Musa fired back. "Just like your brother Ogron," she growled. She knew exactly what to say to him to make him angry. Finding people's weak points and making them vulnerable was her best fighting tactic. She saw his left eyebrow twitch and the smirk twist off of his face.

"You little-" Mandragora seethed.

"Hey, last time I checked you weren't supposed to be on our property," A familiar voice snapped.

Musa turned her head slightly and saw a dark shadow move onto the patio. Riven now separated her from Mandragora.

"I came to see what the party was about. You know I love a good party," Mandragora laughed. "I'm sad I wasn't invited."

"You're not welcome here," Riven growled.

"I'm hurt, I thought we were friends," Mandragora took another step closer. In a flash, Riven was standing right in front of him. Riven was a few inches taller than Mandragora.

"Leave," Riven hissed.

"Fine, fine. But trust me, I'll be back. Don't you worry about that. And Musa, looking good," Mandragora winked before turning around. He carelessly tossed his alcohol bottle in the yard and disappeared into the covert of pine trees.

"Are you okay?" Riven asked after he watched Mandragora disappear.

She didn't tear her eyes off of the trees. "Fine."

"You were watching me," Musa continued to say as she walked over to the table. She picked up her solo cup and twirled it in her hand for several seconds. She sloshed around the alcohol until she decided she didn't want it anymore. She dumped her drink out in the grass because she was no longer in the mood to drink it. "I saw you when I walked in. You're always watching me."

"I was looking for Stella. I didn't know you were out here," Riven lied. Truthfully, he did watch Musa walk outside and he wanted to make sure she was okay. It was his job as a leader to make sure people are okay, even if they aren't his own people. Even if _she chose_ Brandon.

"You don't know me," Musa turned around and walked away

"I used too," Riven commented.

Before Musa could answer, another person entered the back yard.

"Is there a problem here?" Brandon approached the two. He placed his arm around Musa's waist and stared intensely at Riven.

"No everything is fine," Musa answered to Brandon. She gave Riven one last hard look as he turned around to go back inside to the party.

"I'll be seeing you," Riven called over his shoulder.

* * *

So what did y'all think? A much better rewrite I hope. I'm breaking up the chapters and adding different scenes.

Please read and review.


	2. Real World

A/N: It's important to read through these author notes. I feel that they will help clarify some things up for some people.

Hello everyone, I'm so glad many of you took an interest to this story. For this chapter, I decided to focus more on The Warriors rather than The Avengers. Next chapter will be directed more towards The Avengers. While analyzing what I wanted the scene to look like, I realized that I think it would be best to have the setting in Sky's house. While trying to write Sky's character, I identify with him having a lot of money, wealth, and come from a very hierarchy background- I'm trying to stick a little to the actual character's in the show. And of course I had to include Diaspro. It isn't a good story with Sky without her.

As for Riven, I'm trying to keep his brute, straightforward personality. He and Sky are rather good friends as you will see throughout the story. I know they are very competitive- which you will also see that illustrated throughout the story as well.

For some, you might hate the MusaXBrandon fluffy scenes. Don't worry, that doesn't last forever either...

Also, I used Codatora as my own type of OC. I know he isn't Sky's brother, but for the story's purpose, he is.

Anyway, thank you to my awesome reviewers: _Winxtorious, Guest, MM-5, lovebrooks200246m, Smilez04, SplendidForever, Delightness, musariven fan, Pickles333, guest, xsunsparklestellax, and guest_. Y'all are fantastic and I hope you really enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

 _This can't be the real world now_

 _I don't believe it, when I can't see the truth_

 _Welcome to the real world now_

 _The old are carried in now just to poison youth_

 _-All American Rejects_

* * *

"I missed that," Brandon looked Musa into the eyes. They had spent the last hour catching up on the festivities that they had missed while Musa had been away for the summer. Before climbing off of Musa, he leaned down and captured one more kiss. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. Groaning, he pulled away. "Musa Pennington, you do things to me that I didn't even know where possible."

He had forgotten how beautiful she was up close and how her eyes sparkled, even in the dark. He eventually climbed off of her and laid next to her, rubbing his hands across her bare back and shoulders.

The night had ended just the way he had wanted it too. He was able to get some quality, intimate alone time with Musa before they started their Avenger meetings, sports, after school clubs and activities, college applications, and of course school. He had been counting the days down while she was gone for the summer. Even though he missed her like crazy, he spent majority of his summer strengthening his body, bettering his combative fighting skills, and planning for the upcoming school year. With the help of his trusted friend Helia, he was able to create a new log of rules for the Avengers and update their book of secrets and profiles on the opposing gangs. He was more than ready for this upcoming year.

Silence hung in the air between Brandon and Musa. A comfortable silence- words didn't need to speak for what they were thinking. Even after being separated for an extended time period, neither needed to say a word. Musa laid in bed next to Brandon. She stared into the darkness and curled her fingers into the soft fabrics of the duvet. Her body was wrapped in the sheets along with Brandon's. After minutes, she gave a contended sigh and closed her eyes to head to sleep.

The moments of silence only lasted for another few seconds before Brandon shuffled in the sheets. He rolled over to face Musa and a small smile formed in the corner of lips. He loved watching her, both awake and asleep.

"Musa, are you still awake?" Brandon's voice was rather raspy. After a night of social drinks and partying, his voice was going in and out. He lost his voice every time he and his friends were out for the night. Unlike Musa, he was not blessed with strong vocals.

"Yeah," She whispered. It was so quiet, she felt if she talked any louder, she would be screaming. There was something about Brandon's room- you could hear everything, even your own thoughts.

"What was Riven doing outside with you?" He questioned in a worried tone. As much as he hated Riven, he hated his own insecurities and worries even more. Deep down there was a voice in his head questioning Riven's intentions. _And what in the hell did he mean, "I'll be seeing you."_

Hearing the tone of his voice, Musa perked up. Very rarely did Brandon let his voice of worry, voice of discomfort, voice of discontent, show. Reacting rather quickly, she rolled over onto her stomach and and propped herself up on her elbows. She stared into Brandon's eyes for a few seconds before answering. "You can't tell me you're actually worried about this can you?"

Brandon hung his head low and responded with silence.

Exhaling a sigh, Musa placed her hand on Brandon's forearm to comfort him. "Look, I was outside getting some air as I said and Riven came outside looking for Stella. He thought from a distance he saw Stella, but it was another girl stumbling drunk outside with blonde hair. Honestly, it was nothing. He exchanged a few words with me and that was it."

"Okay," Brandon slowly said.

"Brandon, Riven said those things to get in your head. You cannot honestly be surprised by this can you?" Musa asked in a serious tone.

"I'm sorry. I just hate him you know? He's a man with a few words and every word he says just nags at me. I mean if he fucking talked more, it would be easy to shrug off what he says, but it's, he never says anything. I'm going to sound crazy and I don't want to come off that way, it's just, I don't want him to get near you. You're the most important thing I have going for me and I don't want him to get in the way. And when he said, "I'll be seeing you" I wanted to beat his face in the ground right then and there. He's such an asshole, god," Brandon vented. Once he was finished speaking he exhaled a deep breath.

"You're jealous, it's cute," Musa smirked.

"Musa," Brandon growled.

"Okay, okay. I"m being serious Brandon. He has nothing on you- and he's a jerk. Now forget it and go to sleep. It's three in the morning and we have a meeting at ten with all of the new Avengers. You don't want to be a hungover asshole already do you?"

Sighing, he stretched his arms and placed them behind his head. "You're right. I love you, you know that?"

"I know," Musa paused. "Now get some sleep before I suffocate you in this pillow to get you to shut up," Musa teased. She rolled over and leaned into his chest.

Musa stared at the ceiling for awhile. She kept reviewing her conversation with Riven outside.

 _"You don't know me."_

 _"I used too."_

 _..._

 _"I'll be seeing you."_

And what the hell did that even mean? In what way was that directed towards her? While she was thinking of her previous conversation, she wanted to kick herself for not telling Brandon about her encounter with Mandragora and Riven interfering. If she told him tomorrow, then he would be even more paranoid and frustrated that she didn't mention it the night before. Was it possible she was feeling guilty over this... It wasn't that important right? There was no need to bring it up when it really was nothing right? Since when did she keep secrets from Brandon?

* * *

Sunday mornings were the time of the week where Gardenia was nearly deserted. There was almost never any traffic nor cars on the road. Rarely anyone attended church service nor were many businesses open. Sundays were typically known as personal days. Everyone caught up on their own lives and ignored the outside world. Ironically, Sundays were Riven's favorite day to drive around Gardenia. He could run whatever red light he wanted too, he never had to wait on anyone, and it was he and his sports car to himself. Making a left at the light, Riven passed the downtown businesses and headed towards the outskirts of town towards the suburbs.

The suburbs in Gardenia drastically differed from the city. Within the city, houses were tightly placed in conjunction next to one another. As Riven drove away from the city towards the Eracklyon Estate, the houses great farther and farther apart from one another. Houses became far and few in-between. In contrast to the casual white picket and wooden fences houses in the city had, these houses were divided between extensive iron gates, trees, and long lanes. The neighborhood Sky lived in belonged to the elite and the rich of Gardenia, an area in which Riven did not belong in. As Sky's parents easily say, "He's a city rat."

Several miles later, Riven came across the private lane where the Eracklyon Estate resides. Sky's parents were diplomats of Gardenia and held a high stature in the political figure in the local division. Other words, Sky's parents had a lot of control over legislation and the city's people. His parents were rarely in the public eye, only when it was election time and large campaigning.

Riven approach the entrance to enter Sky's house. He turned left into the lane and arrived in front of two large white pillars framed by a large wrought iron gate. Here at the gate, security had to approve his presence. "Good morning Mr. Harrington," The security guard spoke over the intercom and welcomed Riven to enter the premise. Like usual, Riven waited while the iron gates unlocked and separated from one another. Once there was clearance, Riven gave a head nod towards the security personnel and drove down the narrow lane decorated with firs, customized trimmed shrubs, and pines.

Every time he entered the property, Riven felt like he had been transported into another realm. A realm very much different from his own.

Eventually, he approached a circular gravel path surrounding a large patch of circular green grass. Riven curved around the path and parked his car in the porte cochere. As Riven stepped out of his car, one of the Eracklyon servants were ready to take his keys and drive his car to the garage behind the house. Riven handed over his keys and walked along the gravel path towards the front entrance to the house.

"Hey I was starting to worried you got lost," Sky teased as a jaded Riven approached his porch. "Late night last night?" Sky asked.

"It's hard to miss the huge piece of stone that has your last name chiseled into it from the side of the road" Riven eyed his friend. He looked tired, even more so than usual. "And not near as late as you, I take it."

"Diaspro called me at seven this morning," Sky complained. He rubbed his now red eyes. "Apparently my father and her father are going golfing next weekend and she wants to meet at the country club."

"What for?" Riven demanded clarification. A few months ago, Sky had began strongly urged to date Diaspro- a blonde haired teenager the same age as him who was an incredibly impulsive, emotional, vindictive person. She was always very difficult and her eyes were so piercing, you swore she would see through your soul. Some people compared her to Stella, but Stella was very tolerable compared to the witch.

"Because she's fucking psycho. I don't know why," Sky answered too quickly.

Riven stiffened a laugh and Sky continued. "She is coming to visit next weekend, unfortunately. Riven can't we do something? I need to hire a hit-man and get her away from me or something."

"Well let's see... She's not an Avenger nor a member of the Black Circle- which I wouldn't be surprised if she was- but since we have no proof, we can't eliminate her." Riven shrugged his shoulders and let out a stiff yawn. He would feel bad, however, Sky did whatever his parents asked him to do. He never disobeyed their rules- he was the heir to his parents fortunes. Compared to his older brother, he was the saint.

"I did it for my parents. They see Diaspro as a future for me. I see her as the end to my future," Sky complained, kicking gravel in his driveway. "I don't know why they can't pick someone," Sky paused and let the silence settle, "I don't know... more normal? Not a crazy, vindictive bitch." He searched for the right words to say. Diaspro was many things but she also wasn't a lot of things too. She possesses many of the qualities in a woman one does not want to date.

"Sky, you cannot be this dumb. You know exactly what your parents are doing. They are investors and they want to invest in both their futures and yours. See, Diaspro is one of the only women in the area suitable for a man like you. She has the acceptable wealth, lineage, and old money background. Its a trifecta and you out of all people should know this. Besides if your family joins with her family, you are safely bringing together two family fortunes."

"I seriously cannot deal with anymore Diaspro drama this year. Do you know what it was like with her and her family this summer? I swore to God I was going to jump overboard on their yacht into the Marina trench." It was rare when Sky showed a side of his agitation to his friend, but when he did, Riven let him rant it out. He could never understand what it was like to have such controlling, vile parents. As much as they claimed their love for Sky, they were more interested in how to make their reputations and fortunes bigger and better. Their interest was not in their son, it was in their wallets.

"Look, you could always take the route of Codatora" Riven casually suggested. Bringing up Sky's older brother was always a tough situation to handle and address. For years, Sky's parents were ashamed of his brother's actions and did everything they could to bury their brother's secrets and scandal.

"And move away to France and get married to a man and cause a scandal here for my parents and for the local press? He threw away their fortunes, resigned from the family, and changed his last night. I think I will pass this time. Besides, I am in the business to inherit a lot of fortunes someday. My good graces will eventually pay off. At least I hope," Sky sighed. After releasing his inner frustrations, he felt better. Not many understood what it was like to have completely insane parents who were could care less about his overall emotional and mental well being. Riven could relate as his parents were also complete letdowns. In comparison, Sky knew he had it a lot better and he felt bad for complaining.

"Then I don't want to hear you complain," Riven immediately replied. "You have a lot to look forward too then, including Diaspro," Riven smirked. He could sometimes be an asshole. But Sky was one of those friends that you had to be straight up with rather than beat around the bush. So many people were not honest with him because of his lineage and parents. Riven was one of the few people who were brutally honest with his friend.

"You're an asshole," Sky grunted. He turned around and walked towards the wrap around stone porch supported by tall stone pillars.

Riven followed Sky into the entrance of his mansion. As usual, he took off his tennis shoes and placed them on the brass-coated, imported Italian shoe rack. "Whose all here?" Riven questioned.

"Everyone; we were actually waiting on you," Sky answered. In response Riven nodded his head and followed his friend towards their secret room in the basement of the house. Since Sky told his parents he was apart of the gang, his parents were more than delighted to set up a secret meeting place for the Warriors. Both of Sky's parents used to be members of the Warriors, that was how they had met and grew together. Unlike Cordatora, Sky was their child who was going to fall into their footsteps and they were more than willing to spend whatever money they needed to in order to ensure their son's success and happiness.

Riven followed Sky through a series rooms and down a flight of stairs to a landing pad with a very large metal door. Sky entered the password into the security keypad next the door. Once the password was entered, the door beeped and it made a louder noise opening. The door slid into the wall allowing for Riven and Sky to enter. This room was Riven's favorite out of Sky's house. Inside the house was a table- but not just any table. Positioned in the middle of the room was a large round table, similar to that of King Arthur's. Sky's parents insisted that they had a table fit for a king when the room was designed.

"Good morning Riven," random Warriors stood up in respect to the elder Warriors. They formally spoke to Riven as he walked through the room to his official seat at the head of the table

"Morning," Riven and Sky said in passing to random members. Riven glanced around the room as he passed through. The room was rather dark with low-dim lighting. All of the wood in the room was stained a dark color with black distressing. Placed in the middle of the room was a tray of breakfast snacks-pastries, donuts, fresh fruit and homemade juices-homemade from the complementary Eracklyon cooking staff. Every meeting on every Sunday they made food for the group to snack on while discussing important matters.

"Good morning men," Stella greeted the two with a flip of her hair when the two men approached her location.

"Stella, glad to see you made it to this meeting," Riven raised his eyebrows in the direction towards the girl. The last he had saw her she was leaving a party with another guy.

"Well why wouldn't I be here? The sun is shining and I even brought you two coffee," Stella said excitedly as she took her seat next to Riven's seat. She eagerly placed a cup of coffee in front of both Sky and Riven's seating places.

"I even had the Starbuck's woman write her number on your cups, just in case you are looking for a good date," She clasped her hands together and eyed the two guys. "So no need to thank me."

Riven rolled his eyes and brought the cup towards his face. He eyed the number while shaking his head in a nonsense manner. He brought the cup to his lips and sipped on the hot caffeinated beverage. While placing his cup back on the table, he nodded his head in Flora, Timmy, and Nabu's direction who were sitting on his left side next to Sky.

"Thank you Stella," Sky answered for both him and Riven.

"Alright, because I don't like long meetings, we are going to keep this straightforward and to the point," Riven placed his agenda for the meeting on the table in front of him. He was standing behind his chair, looking around the room filled with Warrior members.

"What Riven really means is lets welcome the newest freshman members to the group," Sky interrupted.

"Yeah that," Riven shot Sky with a look of annoyance.

"If we could, lets have the newest members stand up. Everyone become familiar with these faces. These are the future faces of our group so we want them to be as welcome as possible," Sky said in a strong voice.

"Anyway," Riven talked over Sky. "I was getting there before Sky rudely interrupted."

The newest members stood around the room nervously. Some of them swayed back and forth while others gripped the hems off their shirts and shorts.

"Freshman, this is what not to do. Don't let your right-hand man have more power than he needs," Riven retorted with contempt.

"Everyone, these are your new members of the group. You may sit," Riven ushered along the meeting.

"Let me begin by stating, this is a new year and a new year for a lot of possibilities. Anything can happen and as a group, we need to be ready for whatever gets thrown our way. Last year we were a bit rusty so this year I am mandating every Sunday evening everyone attend for combat classes. We need to be prepared to disarm ourselves. These lessons will take place here at Sky's family's gym. I have arranged for a qualified, well-skilled teacher to come every Sunday to help everyone with their training. Everyone, including myself can be better."

Stella rolled her eyes and twirled her cup around on the table. She was not really interested in what Riven had to say this early in the year. She was hungover and the last thing she wanted to be doing was dealing with bylaws. Her lack of interest did not go unnoticed by the alpha leader.

"It has also been brought to my attention at the party that there was a lot of fraternizing with The Avengers. I am more than thrilled you were able to get along last night, maybe we can personally invite them to our meetings too" Riven sarcastically snapped. As a leader, he had to put the interest of the group first. "Starting today, they are your enemies. You do not associate with them unless you absolutely have too. Class is the only time it is allowed and even then, don't press the issue of being friends. I'm not afraid to intervene."

"Stella, any comments? I know you always have something to say," Riven drawled.

Before answering, she shot him a hasty glare. Riven was in a foul mood today and you would have to be deaf or blind to not pick up on his vibes.

"Sure Riven, I'll take the next bylaw," Stella stood up, sharply looking around the room at everyone. "We don't fraternize with them. And when I say them, I mean everyone who is not a Warrior. You don't talk to The Warriors, you don't talk to anyone who identifies with neither and you sure in the hell don't talk to anyone from The Black Circle. Some of you have already asked 'what if we used to be friends?' Well guess what, we don't care if they used to be your friends. We are your friends now and not them. Freshman if you need guidance to get over those past friendships, you consult us, not the old friend. You have pledged your life to The Warriors and that is what you are doing. This is not some past-time club. This is your first priority. Got it?"

"Happy Riven?" Stella turned her head and looked at the brutish man before sitting back in her seat.

"Thank you Stella. Also, you do not hook up with an Avenger. It is your responsibility to know who is an Avenger and who is not," Riven continued saying.

Timmy stood up and nodded in Riven's direction. "Hey everyone," He meekly began. "I am Timmy. I deal with everything from security and to the tech stuff. If there is a security breech, I will be the first to know. Keep our secrets away from cell phones, computers, and media. I don't want to have to get you out of a mess that could have been easily avoided. And welcome to the group," Timmy raised his orange juice in the air to welcome everyone to the group. Unlike Riven, Timmy was quite a casual and go-with-the-flow type man. Very rarely did he ever get angry.

"My name is Nabu and I am also a senior along with everyone at the head of this table. I did most of the recruiting last year and many of you already know me. What I am about to say is very important so listen up. You are not alone- we are your family and friends now. However, you must earn our trust and respect. That is something that is not granted, it is earned. We have all been in your places before and we have all had to break our backs doing so. Therefore, we expect the same out of you."

"If you get into a fight, we will have your back. That is what we are here for you. You do not have to go through anything alone. However, if you can hold your own, than that is great," Sky chimed in.

"Thank you," Riven nodded his head in the direction to his friends. "Also, it absolutely forbidden to discuss what goes on these meetings with anyone. If you break these rules, especially the last one, you will result in suspension, even termination with the group. You don't want two gangs despising you. Got it?" Riven snapped.

"Any questions?" He asked out loud. No one raised their hand to ask Riven a question. Either no one had a question or they were extremely intimidated by Riven's presence. He wasn't exactly the cheeriest or most friendliest.

"Sky has eagerly arranged for a further meeting. I will let Sky take this part over," Riven stepped out of Sky's way and sat down in the wooden chair. He turned his chair slightly so he could see his friend take over the meeting.

"Alright, each of you have a mentor. On this board, I have written down the names of who is mentoring who. Your mentor is going to be your greatest friend and asset to the group. Learn from them because everyone of them has something to teach you" Sky turned around the chalk board so it was facing the group.

"Every Sunday after this meeting you are to spend some time with your mentor. You are to learn about what we stand for, who we are, our history, and more rules and tips. At one time we were you and we are trying to make the transition as effective as possible. So when Riven adjourns this meeting, you are required to find your mentor," Sky walked away from the

"This meeting is adjourned, and Sky I need to talk to you, so stay put," Riven stood up, pushing his chair away from the table.

"Why did you pair me with someone?" Riven whispered in a harsh manner towards his friend. He was trying not to make a scene while everyone was gathering together across the room.

Running his hand through his hair, Sky let out a laugh. "Riven you are a leader and I think you mentoring someone will be good for you," Sky suggested. "Besides she-" Sky was interrupted by Riven.

"It's a girl?" Riven was seconds away from pummeling his friend into his hard wood flooring.

"Yes, she's a girl. She isn't an it. She's actually new to the school and she's a transfer from a nearby school. She's a junior, a year younger than us, and I figured you could show her around. Besides, what else do you have to do?"

"Ahh excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," A higher-pitched voice spoke. Riven turned to his left and standing in between him was a female with a taller built frame with long light brown hair that drooped down to her waist. The female was dressed in a purple suit and her body hugged her in all of the right places.

"Hi, Riven. Sky told me this morning we were going to be paired together and I think he made a great combination. I'm Darcy," She smiled wryly and said in a cool manner, matching Riven's own manner.

"Riven," He smirked.

"So, are you going to stand there all day and yell at your friend for pairing you with me or are you actually going to tell me something useful," She raised her eyebrows in his direction.

"Hmm, I now see why Sky paired me with you," Riven eyed the girl carefully. When he looked at her, he was placed with the feeling of rapture and discordance. It was almost as if he had seen her before.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to go into as much detail as possible.

As the story progresses, you will eventually learn the history of both gangs and the dark circle.

If you have any suggestions for this story, please input it in a private message or the reviews. I take all of your thoughts and ideas seriously. I will see if I can work them into this.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review, it means a lot to me :)


	3. Top Of The World

When I logged on today and saw the many private messages (I will respond back soon, I promise) and reviews in regards to this story I was delighted. Your support keeps me going. I'm so glad many of you have taken an interest in this story.

Thank you to all of my wonderful & enticing reviewers- _cherry156, alexaa1, Anne, S, Guest, Smilez014, Andrea, guest, guest, Delightness, Guest, winxtorious, and splendidforever._

 **A/N:** Sorry, the first chapter got a bit lost in translation on who was on what team. That was my fault and I didn't realize that I screwed it up a bit. Sometimes when you are juggling a lot of characters, things can get messy. So below I have broken who is on each team and any other characters that have been brought up this far.

 **Alfea Avengers:** Musa, Brandon, Bloom, Techna, Layla, Helia, Mitzi, Daphne, Amaryl, Jared, and Thoren.

 **Red Fountain Warriors:** Riven, Stella, Sky, Timmy, Flora, Nabu, Jason, Roy, and Darcy.

(^^^ some of the characters above you have not been introduced to yet & I'm sure as I write this, I will include more characters- the sides will balance out eventually)

 **The Black Circle:** (You have only been introduced to these two characters so far) Ogron  & Mandragora

 **Other Characters:**

 _Cordatora_ \- Sky's older brother who caused a class one scandal with his parents- forfeited his inheritance, attained citizenship in France & left Gardenia, and married a man.

 _Diaspro_ \- Sky's girlfriend, his parents have arranged their relationship as she is the perfect lineage and wealth for his family's standards.

Also, I apologize about the slowness of the story. Not much has actually happened yet, but it is important for the length of this story. I am anticipating about 30-40 chapters and it is going to be a long one. So please be patient. The background story to each character is vital and it's going to take some time to piece each character together. There's a lot piled into this story so it is going to be very dense.

* * *

 _Paint yourself a picture_  
 _When you waste another picture_  
 _And you win, and you win, and you win_  
 _Paint yourself a picture_  
 _And then you break another picture_  
 _And you win, and you win, and you win_

 _-All American Rejects_

* * *

Unlike Sky's mansion across the city, Brandon lived in a more open area. In comparison, his house was still quite large, however, there was no need for a large amount of security or wrought iron gates.

Instead, his house was tucked away beneath a patch of tall pine trees and a long gravel lane. Gracing his yard was several willow trees and oak trees. Brandon's house stood tall, with large wooden pillars and a wrap around cobblestone porch. The country tone of his house was inviting to many people. Located behind his house was a dock with two boats and a four hectare body of water. The squire family ( _Brandon's last name is squire for this story's purpose_ ) built their house on an area of land where they were ensured their own lake.

Thoren and Daphne, dutiful members of the Alfea Avengers, rocked back and forth on the coral coast porch swing. Together, they waited for the new members to arrive. Actually they were waiting for everyone. They were the first to arrive and they had yet to see Brandon and Musa.

"It's so nice out this morning," Daphne turned to Thoren and smiled. Thoren was her boyfriend for eight months now. The two had started dating when Thoren transferred schools from Linphea to Gardenia in the early spring. They sat next to each other in trigonometry and the two hit it off after numerous study dates and coffee. After a few weeks of Daphne convincing Brandon, he finally agreed to let Thoren join the Avengers. It also helped that Thoren and his cousin Sky did not get along. Since then, Thoren fit in extremely well with their group of friends.

"If you ask me, I think vacationing in Andros and the island of Nantros was a lot nicer than this," Thoren smirked. Late last night, the two flew back into the Gardenia airport after a three weeks of vacationing in the Andros islands.

"Yeah, you're right. But there's this feeling of home, ya know? Even though its nice to get away, I still missed home... and I'm still sad we didn't see a mermaid," Daphne pouted. Andros is a remote of islands strung together by different canals and waterways. Most of the area was engulfed in ocean water and marine life.

Daphne gave her a boyfriend a shove in the shoulder and rolled her eyes in a fun manner. He cupped her chin and leaned in for a kiss.

"Gross, keep your affection off of my porch swing," A deep voice emerged from the trees. Daphne and Thoren pulled away from each other's lips and blushed furiously. They turned their heads and saw Musa and Brandon approaching them with Brandon's two German Shepherd dogs on leashes.

"Musa," Daphne excitedly called out. As Musa got closer, Daphne and Thoren stood up and made their way down the stairs to welcome their friends.

"Hey, we missed you two at the party last night," Musa commented before hugging one of her greatest friends.

Daphne let out a sharp groan. "I was so pissed when our plane delayed because of the tropical storm. We were supposed to get back yesterday morning."

"By the way, I love your hair. Looks very mermaid like," Musa complimented as she played with the blue streak that was now in her friends' hair. Daphne's physical features defined her quite well. She was born with a taller, leaner figure and long pale blond hair and fair skin. Her amber eyes were the most compelling feature of all. Amber was a great way to describe her eyes because the term "brown" is too simple. The base color of her eyes was a coffee, but there were yellow, green and blue specs that meddled together. Her eyes were fierce, but soft.

"Thank you," Daphne ran her hands consciously through the hair.

"Come here you," Thoren was next to speak. He leaned in and pulled Musa into a hug. She was practically his little sister. "How was your Europe?" He asked while letting go. After Musa pulled from his grasps, he and Brandon pulled each other in a brotherly, bear hug.

Musa and Daphne rolled their eyes. "Men," Musa let out a laugh, following Daphne's.

"Great, how was Andros?" Musa asked.

"Beautiful," Daphne gleamed.

"Daphne was just complaining about not seeing a mermaid."

Brandon scoffed, "Mermaids aren't real."

Fist-bumping his friend, Thoren grumbled, "Thank you."

"One can hope though," Musa defended her friend. "I don't see anything silly in wanting to see a mermaid. They are practically gods of the water. Almost as godliness like Poseidon."

"You can't tell me you actually believe that?" Brandon shot her a look of disbelief.

"I'd like to believe in Greek Mythology," Musa spoke confidently. "And mermaids."

"Women," Brandon rolled his eyes. "I think the dogs want inside. Here hand me the leash and I will let them inside and replenish their water." Brandon held out his hand and Musa handed him the light blue leash. Leaving the group to mingle on the sidewalk, he approached the stone steps. Quickly, the dogs pulled him up the stairs. Brandon turned the brass knob to the white, Feather Riven front door with sapphire glass panels. His parents recently had their contractor install a new door, replacing the old Mahogany one. They insisted it was letting in too much heat and wanted something more energy efficient. In reality, they most likely grew tired of the old one and wanted something new.

As he entered into the house, he took off the dog leashes and hung them up on the peg hooks next to the door. Instantly, he smelled the lingering aroma of cinnamon. Was his mom making fresh cinnamon rolls?

He walked along the hallway until he entered into the kitchen. Standing near the stove was his mother. She was bent over pulling something out of the cooking appliance.

"Mom?" Brandon questioned.

After saying her name, his mother turned around with oven mittens on her hands. "Brandon, honey. I just took out the first pan of Cinnamon rolls. The second batch will be done in a few more minutes. I figured since it was your first day I would make you and your friends a good first meal."

Was this his mother that was talking? "Wow, umm, thanks," Brandon said in both appreciation and confusion.

"Will you get the orange juice out? I'll have your dad bring the juice and the cups down to the basement. Oh while you were out last night, we replaced the television down there. We figured you could use something a little more updated."

"You and dad went shopping again together?" Brandon was more than surprised. His parents were sort of going through rough patch. After Roxy's death a few years ago, they had went through a lot of tears, fights, and counseling. For awhile, the Squire household had been on its own form of hiatus. For awhile, his dad moved out of the house and was staying in their small cottage across the lake. His parents barely had any contact for several months.

"In your best interest, we want to make things work. We have already lost one child, we don't want to lose another," His mother's voice quivered.

Not knowing what to say or how to comfort his mother, he walked to refrigerator and took out the jugs of juice. He was never good at those situations. After Roxy's death, he didn't know how to console his parents. It was too difficult to talk about her and that was all they wanted to do.

Seconds after of her emotional display, Brandon's mother straightened up and smoothed out her apron. She smiled at her son and said, "This is going to be a great year for you. Your father and I, we are going to be there for you okay? The best way we can start is by making sure the Avengers don't go hungry on an empty stomach."

"Yeah thanks," Brandon smiled and turned around to walk back outside. He was beyond confused by the interaction of his mother.

Brandon returned from inside and saw several other Avengers meeting congregated outside. Some of which included Layla, Helia, and Techna and some of the newer members.

"Is Bloom here yet? She was supposed to bring me coffee," Musa questioned the group.

Musa turned her body just right and met her eyes with Brandons'. There was a different look to his face and Musa couldn't place it. Knowing Brandon for as many years as she did, she mouthed "everything okay?"

He nodded his head and gave her the "I'll tell you later look." She gave him a soft smile and turned her attention back towards Techna.

"She's probably late," Helia laughed, entering the groups conversation.

"Most likely, she's sleeping in. You know how much she hates waking up to her alarm," Techna responded.

"Well why don't we move towards the basement and Helia, Thoren, and I can wait here for everyone else."

"Musa, Techna, Daphne, do you want to start getting everything set up? In my room I have the agenda and everything else ready to go for this upcoming week. I printed them out and they are upstairs."

"Sure thing," Musa, who had the loudest voice out of everyone, turned to the crowd. "Avengers, please come with us. We are heading down to the meeting room. For everyone who is new, don't worry, you will get the hang of things."

"Daphne, want to lead them to the basement? Techna and I will go to Brandon's room and get the folders and papers," Musa asked as they entered into the Squire residence.

"Sure thing," Daphne turned to the new Avengers and motioned for them to follow her. "Everyone come with me."

Exiting the group, Musa and Techna walked away towards the wooden spiral staircase. They walked up the stairs and down the halls, passing a few doors. One of which was Roxy's. Musa always walked quicker when walking passed it.

"Wow, his room," Musa was surprised when she opened up the door and entered in it. "He mentioned in an email that he had changed it, but I wasn't exactly expecting this."

The once black walls were different. Three out of the four walls were a light gray and the other was a navy blue. He had rearranged the set up of his room, with a new desk and computer in the corner of his room where his old television stand used to be. He replaced his old furniture with new and replaced his bed covers. Framed on his wall were three frames.

Musa walked up the frames and observed them. The first frame, was a family portrait. She ranger her fingers across it and observed the photo closely. Standing in front of their parents were Brandon and Roxy and their two dogs. This was the last photo taken before Roxy's death. They looked like such a happy family. She smiled at the next to photos, both of which she was in. One was a photo of her and Brandon at the beach on vacation last summer and the other photo was a group photo of the Avengers- right after Brandon was chosen to be the alpha leader. They all looked so young, so different, and so naive.

"Musa," Techna spoke, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Right, meeting stuff," Musa laughed, tearing her gaze away from Brandon's newly decorated room. She walked over to the desk and grabbed the pile of folders while Techna grabbed the papers.

"I'm sure you will be up here later, you know, to look more," Techna smirked, leaving Musa with a blush on her face.

Playfully, she smacked Techna with the stack of papers. "C'mon, we have a meeting to run."

...

"Hello everyone," Brandon addressed the group of both new and old Avengers. The beginning of the school year was always his favorite.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," A higher-pitch voice ascended from the stairs. Everyone turned around and saw a frazzled Bloom running to the table. "What did I miss?" She asked gasping for breath.

"My coffee," Musa raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Shit, I forgot. Next time?" Bloom apologetically offered as she sat down in the empty seat reserved between Musa and Daphne.

"Glad you could make it Bloom," Brandon welcomed her to the table.

"For everyone who is new, do not be like Bloom and attend these meetings late. If you have to be late, please let one of us know. We are serious about this and we want to ensure everyone's safety. It is essence that everyone is accounted for."

"Please take a look over the agenda, who Musa has kindly handed one to each of you," Brandon was the first to pick up the agenda. He paced back and forth around the larger table and glanced around at everyone who was reading the agenda.

"Every meeting, I will have an organized agenda printed out. After each meeting, we will shred these in the paper shredder. We do not keep documents on file of what we do and what we discuss."

"The first thing on the agenda is the by-laws. Techna, would you be a doll and explain these to the new Avengers and refresh everyone in the room?" Brandon asked while taking his seat at the head of the table.

"Of course," Techna stood up and faced the crowd of people. A few years ago she would have never been able to talk in front of these people. Now she grew up and developed the confidence to do so.

"Well, it's important to understand how we operate. As Brandon would say, we are a team. We work together, we communicate together, and we fight together. No one is on their own in this group. We become your family," Techna read the first bylaw.

Layla stood up and followed Techna's thoughts "It's important to know that this team comes first. You are pledging your time and dedication to us. We have your back as long as you have ours. You can't have doubts and you can't have second thoughts... that's not how this works here. We are your number one priority."

"We are the older members and we are here for anything," Helia placed his hand on Layla's shoulder and gave her a soft smile. "We expect you to come to us when you are having problems. Many of the problems you have faced, we have also faced those. Trust me when I say, we understand."

"In addition, everything within this group is confidential. You are forbidden to tell your parents, your old friends, and most importantly you are forbidden to tell anyone from the other gangs. If you leak our private information, you can count your last wishes," Brandon firmly told.

"We don't tolerate lying," Musa stood up next to Brandon. "If you are caught lying, depending upon the lie, you can be exiled from the group. We are a group here, we rely on each other. Don't burn those bridges."

"There is to be no sexual relationships with other members of other gangs. If you date another person that is not affiliated with the gang, they are not allowed to know anything that we do. Choose you who sleep with and you date wisely," Bloom was the next one to go around the table and talk.

Daphne stood up after Bloom. "I hate to be that person, but you are not allowed to be friends with any of the other gangs. If they were your friends prior to this, you mine as well forget them. We have all had to cut ties between friendships and if you need guidance, come and talk to us."

"If there is an issue, a fight, or something, let Brandon, me, or any of the other senior leaders know. We want to emphasize this as much as possible, we are your friends and we stand with you."

By the end of the bylaws, all of the official leaders were standing side-by-side to one another. Brandon was the next to speak.

"I, Brandon am the leader of your gang. I do what I can to make sure that we stay safe and we uphold our values and everything that means most to us. Next on the agenda is to discuss the first day of school. We have a plan already set in motion and we just need to discuss it before we do it," Brandon said firmly while analyzing the paper agenda.

 _(This part is left out of this chapter because you will soon find out in the upcoming chapter)_

...

"And now that the meeting is pretty much over, we are going to take a break and indulge in these wonderful homemade cinnamon rolls my mother made for us. There is orange juice, milk, and fresh coffee awaiting anyone who would like some. Next Sunday's meeting we will be discussing the history of the Avengers and how we came to be us. We will also assign mentors and we will assign sparing partners."

Quickly, Musa grabbed Brandon's hand and pulled him away from his conversation with Helia and Thoren. "I'm going to borrow him," Musa while pulling him away towards a secluded corner.

"If you wanted to borrow me, you could have just said so... I have this place called my room," Brandon began but stopped he received a smack in the stomach.

"Hmmpf," He grabbed his stomach in response to his pain that Musa just inflicted on him.

"I like what you did to your room by the way," Musa raised her eyebrows. "I didn't see it coming, but I like the change. It can be quite good."

Brandon leaned in and kissed his girlfriend really quick before she talked again.

Smiling, Musa ignored the looks that her friends were giving her. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you what was up with your mother. She made us food? She refurnished this room and replaced the television Brandon."

"I knew that you were going to ask that. Well-" Brandon began.

"Oh Brandon," A high-pitched squeal disrupted Musa and Brandon from their conversation. She looked over and silently groaned as Mitzi strolled over to them.

"Do you mind? I need to talk to him," Mitzi squealed and clung to Brandon's arm.

"No, not at all," Musa laughed at Brandon's facial expressions. "He's all yours." Musa said before muttering swear words underneath her breath.

Musa looked around at the group of new Avengers. She saw someone about her age sitting by herself. Unlike most of the new Avengers, she looked incredibly confident. Wary of her presence, Musa walked away from Brandon and Mitzi and made a mental note to kick Mitzi's ass later in sparing practice for constantly flirting with her boyfriend. Musa walked towards the table where the girl was seated.

"Hello, I'm Musa," Musa took a seat next to the girl. Now that she was closer, she could get a better look at the girl. She was quite pretty, with orange/brown hair styled in a shorter bob. The light green top aligned well with her emerald green eyes.

"Amaryl," She curtly responded. Ahh, that voice. Musa instantly knew who the girl was. Based upon her few interactions, Musa gathered that Amaryl had quite the temper and attitude with people. She was one to hold a strong grudge. This surprised her that she was an Avenger and not a Warrior. Amaryl seemed more like Riven's type of recruit than Brandon's.

"I've seen you around prior to this. At school, I think we had a class together," Musa started to make conversation.

After a few seconds, Musa finally earned a smile from the girl. "I believe we did too."

"So what made you join the Avengers? I didn't peg you a girl to join the Avengers."

"Please, like I would want to even remotely be friends with Riven. That man is a jerk," Amaryl firmly stated. "Besides, do you know how hard it is to make friends with people at this school when you're not in one of the two gangs."

"Well, welcome to the Avengers. I like you already," Musa gave her a cheeky grin and received one back from Amaryl.

* * *

Darkness was settling over the city of Gardenia. Roughly, during August, the sun set around 9:00 p.m. After a long day of Red Fountain Warriors prepping, training, and reviewing bylaws, Riven was ready for to get some sleep. He had spent most of his day socializing, his least favorite thing to do, with the incoming Warriors. Regardless if he wanted to socialize, Sky practically forced him.

Riven stopped at the light and drummed his fingers across the steering wheel. Depending on the day, traffic, and traffic lights, it was a twenty minute to thirty minute drive from his apartment to Sky's mansion. Compared to Sky, he lived on the opposite side of the city- the less posh side.

As far as he knew, he was the only student that lived in the destitute of Gardenia whom attended Gardenia High, a rather wealthy institution. His saving grace was his grades, which allowed him to keep a scholarship to attend. If it wasn't for his scholarship, he wouldn't be able to afford to attend the exclusive school. Wealth was one of the major benefactors in the divide of people in Gardenia. You had three types of people in the area: very poor, those who were comfortable, and those who were rich beyond extremity. Many of Riven's friends were the third type.

After passing several rundown and boarded up buildings, Riven turned down the alley and parked his car in the parking lot behind "Waldorfs Pub." He stepped out of his car, grabbing his bag and locking the car. Pushing past a dumpster, he made a beeline for the metal door. Opening the door, he was engulfed with a whiff of cigar smoke and alcohol. Wrinkling his nose, he turned to head towards the stairs to his living situation.

"Riven, want a drink?" The bar tender called as he saw the young man enter through the back door.

Subsequently, another raspy voice hollered "Son, you don't want to sit here and have a drink with your dear old dad." His father patted the faux leather bar stool beside him.

Sighing, Riven dropped his bag by the foot of the stairs and walked over to the counter. It was easier to share a drink with his dad and appease his drunken state than to piss him off. The last time he denied a drink, his elbow went through the drywall of their upstairs loft.

"Pour me the strongest drink you have," Riven groaned. It was going to be a long night and he needed the best there was to tolerate his father. He glanced over at his father- who was covered in oil and grease from the local auto shop. When his father wasn't intoxicated, he was an automobile mechanic for a small, ma-and-pa garage. Often, Riven was told he resembled his father. They shared the same rugged appearance, the same body shape, and they had similar views on life. Except his hair was greased back, his fingernails were dirty, he hadn't shaved for a few days and he was taking puffs of a cigar. The major difference was Riven wasn't going to turn into his father.

"How long have you been drinking?" Riven turned to his father who had his arm wrapped around a younger woman's age.

"That is none of your concern," Riven's father bellowed.

In order to escape the unbearable situation he was in, Riven quickly downed the drink in front of him. He shuddered as the the disgusting concoction the bar tender made him burned down his throat. Blinking and shaking his head, he spoke quickly, "Thanks, this was great, I have to go."

"Where are you gong? Don't you want another one?" The bar tender picked up the empty glass and observed it. For a young adult, he sure knew how to drink his alcohol.

"To do my homework," Riven muttered. He pushed passed the woman of his father's choice for the week. His father was so inebriated and into his new woman, he didn't even realize that Riven hadn't even started the school year yet. Therefore, he had no homework.

After escaping the quality time that he was forced to spend with his father and the bar tender, he ran up the old, dusty, wooden stairs. As usual, the apartment door was unlocked. Opening the door, he stepped in, tossing his backpack onto the floor. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mound of alcohol bottles and cans that had accumulated over the weekend. His father really knew how to take drink his alcohol.

As usual, Riven began cleaning their place. He gathered all of the bottles and cans and carelessly tossed them into the recycling bin which was positioned next to the trash can. After gathering and washing all of the dishes, he threw away all of the loose bottle caps and empty pizza boxes. Once the loft was tidied up, he grabbed his bag and headed for his room.

Typically, his father slept on the couch while Riven stayed in the only bedroom. His bedroom was not like most bedrooms. He didn't have much memorabilia or extra items hanging around his room. Compared to most of his friends, his room was quite small. He had enough room for his bed, his dresser, and a small night stand. There was not extra room for much of anything else. He didn't have a closet, so he had to utilize what space he could.

Sighing, Riven unzipped his backpack and took out a special journal. This journal contained many of the secrets, history, pass-codes, and secret locations to the upcoming events of the Red Fountain Warriors. If this journal fell into the wrong hands, it could be detrimental to the success of the Warriors. Therefore, it was Riven's sole duty to protect his friends.

He lowered himself to the ground until he was on all fours. He lifted the hanging part of the duvet to the top of his bed and lowered himself under his bed. Underneath his bed, he shuffled a wooden floor board over and pulled out a high-tech, secret, bullet-proof, fire-proof, and water-proof safe. He placed his thumb onto the scanning device and entered an eight digit code. Once his information was processed, the small safe opened up. There was not much in the case, except for a few photographs, a load of cash Riven has been saving up, a Ruger Rimfire Semiautomatic pistol, and just enough room for the journal of secrets.

Nobody except Riven knew the safe existed. When asked how he was going to protect their journal of secrets, he would respond, "Don't you worry, I have got that taken care of."

Before closing the safe, he picked up a photograph that he did almost every time. The edges were beginning to wear down from handling and shuffling the photograph around. He stared at it for a few seconds, before putting it away.

After locking the safe back up, he placed it back underneath the floor board and put the floorboard back in it's right position. He pulled himself out from underneath his bed and dusted his arms off.

"Riven," A voice bellowed throughout the loft. Following the loud voice was the slamming of the door. Riven winced as the door shook the rest of the loft.

He sighed, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **A/N: You will later figure out why Thoren Eracklyon is not a Red Fountain Warrior like his cousin Sky.**

 **A/N: Also, as of right now Daphne and Bloom are not sisters... there's more to this conflict later on in the story.**

If you want to leave a review, that would be great. I am excited to know what everyone is thinking about this story and all of the ideas that everyone has.


	4. Time Stands Still

Hey everyone... I have some good news & some bad news.

Good news, I'm presenting you with a new chapter. This chapter is really insightful as it will introduce a few new characters & it will explain the history as how the gangs started. The story will begin to evolve from here, which is just as exciting. Now that the intro to the story is over, more action, drama, backstories, plots, etc. will evolve.

Bad news, I changed my profile. I bet you're wondering why does that sound bad? Well I went through and deleted all of my work that I didn't like. Meaning, stories I no longer had an interest in, work I am not proud of, and pieces that I hated. Therefore, I deleted most of my older work. I apologize to anyone who liked my older work and wished to still read it and anyone who had hopes of me finishing other stories that I stopped writing.

I do hope that most of you still continue to read my new work and support me in my writing decisions.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed: _SplendidForever, Smilez014, S, Pickles333, Random'Alley412, Delightness, MM-5, StellaBrellaLover, Cherry156, and alexaa1_.

* * *

 _Time stand still_  
 _I'm not looking back_  
 _But I want to look around me now_  
 _See more of the people_  
 _And the places that surround me now_

 _-All American Rejects;_

 **4- Time Stands Still**

* * *

The sun began to rise as Professor Avalon turned left into the grand entrance to Gardenia High. He was welcomed by the two large stone pillars stretched across the entrance proudly presenting Gardenia High chiseled into the large stone. Even though he had been to the school over the summer, his mouth still gaped at the prestigious school. Gardenia High was more exclusive than the previous, private school that he had taught at. The building was eloquently built upon a historical landmass, threaded on several acres of ground with leafy oak trees, straight, tall white pines, and manicured bushes.

It was quite a remarkable view. It looked as if it was taken right out of a magazine or a post card.

The parking lot was almost empty, except for a few vehicles parked right along the teacher's entrance to the building. Stepping out of his car, he straightened out his white blazer and fixed his gold cuff-links on his sleeves. He reached into the backseat of his vehicle and grabbed his leather case and pulled it out. Taking in the brisk, fresh air one last time, he closed his car door and presumed towards the door.

Before he could enter in his access code to the school, he was greeted by a woman opening the door. To be more specific, he was feigned with the presences of, Ms. Faragonda, the head mistress of Gardenia High.

"Welcome Professor Avalon. I have been eagerly awaiting for your arrival," She held the steel door, decorated in stain glass panes, open. Graciously, he entered into the building.

Scanning the area, he smiled. "This place looks even more incredible than what I remember when I interviewed here several months ago."

"I certainly have heard that before," She smiled. Together they walked freshly polished marble hall. Without the presence of the students, the heels to their shoes clicked against the flooring, producing a loud echo.

"I have arranged for your classroom to be already set up for you. If this shall inconvenience you, I apologize. I knew that you were cutting it close from returning from your Archaeological dig in Greece," She explained.

Following her into the teacher's lounge, Avalon spoke, "I appreciate your kindness. I am grateful that you took the time to have my stuff put away. I was hoping my assistant had all of my stuff arranged."

He took a moment to observe the lounge as Ms. Faragonda let the silence settle in. This room was more than the average teacher's lounge. It was decorated in fine leathers and dark stained woods. The cabinets were premium with an antique distressing, complimenting the long stretch of high-end granite counter top and the brand new stainless steel appliances.

His eyes continued to observe the room until he took an interest in the wall decor. He took a few steps closer and choked out a small gasp.

"Is this a real Van Gogh?" He asked in astonishment.

"It is. When Van Gogh passed away, it was donated to our institution," Ms. Faragonda proudly said.

"Wow," His eyes sparkled. "The real Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum." He continued to observe the industrial primed oil canvas. Turning his head slightly, he asked, "I thought this painting was at the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands."

"There's is a copy, we have the licensing and appraisal in our vault," She responded.

"Wow," He said almost in disbelief.

"Would you like some coffee?"

Tearing away his gaze from the marvelous painting, Avalon nodded his head. "I would love some."

"How's the book coming along?" Ms. Faragonda raised her eyebrows, probing the the young scholar.

As they conversed, he walked over the granite countertops. He leaned across the counter to grab the coffee pot. He poured himself some steaming coffee before turning his body to face hers. Bringing the cup to his lips, he took a taste of the black coffee. "Great actually. I finished the book early this past week. I sent my transcript to my editor."

"There's an interesting culture in Greece," Avalon finished.

"I went to Greece once," She paused, feeling a bit nostalgic. "I went to Athens, Rhodes, and Santorini. It was such a wonderful vacation. Really Avalon, I look forward to reading it. Do you know how great it is to have scholars as professors here at this institution? Every year, this high school scores the highest in the test scores for the state. I knew I picked the right professor to teach here." She smiled.

Avalon brought the Styrofoam cup to his lips and sipped more on his coffee. The hot liquid burned down his throat, giving him more motivation to approach the sensitive subject that he was about to bring up. He trailed, "I've done quite a bit of research about the students and about the area. There's a lot of peculiar things about this area. There's an affluence of wealthy people and an affluence of violence. How exactly do these two things fit together? Ms. Faragonda, do you have some time to talk? I have some questions that about the school here, more specifically the students and maybe the culture of people here. As a person of philosophy, I'm keen on knowing. " He eyed her carefully and she gave him a look of knowing.

Turning her body towards the door, she turned her head back. "Yes, why don't you come into my office with me?"

Her office was the most magnificent room in the school yet. The large office was shaped in a diamond. In the point of the diamond, there was a spiral staircase, leading to a second case of books. Her circular desk complemented the shape of the room. Her office was comprised of tall cielings, large wooden bookcases, two white plush chairs, and tall glass window panes that overlooked the school's grounds. It was an amazing, eye-capturing view.

"Have I mentioned, this school is amazing?" He grinned, taking in the office space.

"Why thank you. This is the original tower to the building actually. When the school was built in the early 1800's, Mr. Gardenia, the founder of this school, wanted the very best. He surely doesn't disappoint."

"Ms. Faragonda, I'm really interested in the gangs here."

Laughing, she poured herself some vos water. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Please sit," She motioned him to sit down in the white tufted morgana chair across from hers.

While he sat, she took another sip of water. She twirled the waterford lismore glass around in her fingers before firmly placing it directly on top of the coaster.

She exhaled a sigh, "I am assuming you know a lot already then. What do you want to discuss?" She eyed him carefully. As a philosopher, she already speculated he had done his research.

"I want to write a book about the gangs here," He drew.

She turned to look at him. "Do you think that is such a good idea?" She questioned inquisitively. Messing with the order of the history was not the wisest choice. He could create permanent damage to the order.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Apprehensively he stated, "Probably not."

She raised one brow at him before responding. "You're going to write the book anyway. If you're going to write one, at least get the beginning of how the gangs started."

"I was apart of the third generation of gangs here in Gardenia."

"You a gang member?" Avalon asked in disbelief.

"Ahh yes, I was quite influential in my days. That was before I moved away and earned an education of course. After years of teaching in different educational systems, I realized I actually missed this place. So, after my divorce, I decided to move back. In the midst of moving back here, this job offer opened up and I applied for it. By the time I accepted this position at the school, most of the people who were in gangs when I was in school had dispersed from the area or had passed away. There's still a few of us second generation gang members living."

Avalon leaned forward, listening intently to the story. He was fascinated by both the gang history and Ms. Faragonda's history.

"Gardenia was not always a wealthy area. It became wealthy during the first world war era and when the prohibition laws went into affect. In response of the outrage to the banning of alcohol, two young men, Fountain and Mr. Avenger, whom were in their late twenties took it in their own hands to provide the alcohol. They created a multitude of speakyeasys in Gardenia. One of which occurred right in this very room actually."

"Interesting," Avalon commented, trying to imagine the room in a speakeasy setting with men in suits and fedoras smoking cigars, while woman in sequin flapper dresses snake around them fervently, making illegal alcohol sales.

"My grandmother was a flapper. She didn't believe in conventional behavior. I remember the stories my mother used to tell me. Apparently, my grandmother lived for the speakeasy settings. She absolutely loved them. She first became involved when she began dating Mr. Avenger. She, along with several other common flappers, would smoke a cigarette and swing to the jazz music nightly. My grandmother was very close to both men in charge."

"So where do the gangs come in at?" Avalon curiously questioned.

"Throughout this era, Mr. Avenger and Mr. Fountain were great allies. They ran and operated the speakeasys in the area, they manufactured, transported, and sold the alcohol in the area. They had a close-knit work environment. Even the police were working along side them because they too wanted to the alcohol. Right before the lifting of the prohibition law in the late 1920's, Mr. Avenger was caught selling alcohol across state lines by the federal government. While Mr. Avenger remained silent about Mr. Fountain's association with the crime, Mr. Fountain came forward and confessed, creating a plea bargain with the government. He was given a slap on the wrist while Mr. Avenger was sent to jail for fifteen years with another ten years of probation. When Mr. Avenger left for jail, his girlfriend, who was my grandmother left him and married Mr. Fountain."

"Mr. Avenger did not take the betrayal of my grandmother or his best friend lightly and neither did the majority of the city. He was a very angry man. He wrote threatening letters to my grandmother and grandfather. He swore when he was out of prison he was going to kill them both and everyone else who turned their back on him. You see, the city's population was once very close with one another. However, when Mr. Fountain sold out his friend, that is when people throughout the city were arguing whether or not he was justified. Soon, all of Mr. Avengers friends took a side and began fighting with the few allies that Mr. Fountain had. Soon enough, there was a rift in the city was majority of the people divided and then the gangs formed. Throughout the past decades, the gangs and their loyalty have grown stronger and more aggressive."

"So what happened when Mr. Avenger got out of jail?" Avalon cautiously asked.

Ms. Faragonda gave Avalon a sharp look and stared at him for awhile longer before responding. "He did as he said he would in the hate letters he kept mailing them. He murdered my grandmother and grandfather and killed himself. He left my mother, who was 15 years old to look after her ten year old little sister. My mother told me all of these stories as I got older. She and my aunt were prominent members in the Red Fountain gang and they despised the Alfea Avengers. She grew up with so much animosity and hate, that she became a bitter woman because of it. She and her younger sister had to live a life without their parents. Over the years, I have come to the terms with the gangs. I do not believe that violence will solve anything. Mr. Avenger was so angry for being betrayed by his best friend and my grandmother and my mother and aunt were so angry with him for taking away their parents. So many people have delved into this realm of violence, hate, and darkness. At the end of the day, it does not get anyone anywhere and it does not promote the right messages."

"Wow, I had no such idea," Avalon said in shock. "Have the gangs died down since then?"

"I'm afraid the violence and anger has not yet lifted. Instead, I believe it has gotten quite worse. Four years ago, there was a huge incident that caused a lot of turmoil. An Avenger student was murdered and it caused a great rift in the gangs. There is just as much hate and anger as there was may years ago. But that is another story for another day. We need to get ready as classes will be starting soon."

"Ms. Faragonda, real quick," Avalon stood up, brushing off his pants as Ms. Faragonda straightened her pencil skirt.

"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows.

He nervously began, "This is all fascinating and I think I could write a love story. A star-crossed love story."

"A love story?" She asked out loud, making sure she heard him correctly.

"Yes, there is a lot of angst, tension, and history here at this school that I could work with."

She let out a laugh, "Avalon, I must tell you, you will be ran out of the city before anyone will let you write a story about them."

Excitedly, he paced around the room. "But that is the thing, nobody has to know. I could write a story without anyone here knowing. I could base it off of two students, from different gangs."

"Mr. Avalon, these are young kids who have not known a world without violence, anger, and hate. They are not to be taken lightly and many of them have many issues. I do see this being a good idea."

"Don't worry, I won't let them know I am writing a story. Just think of the amount of money that this book could make. I could give you half of the rights," He gleamed.

"I don't know about this," She said.

"What if this was the thing that could settle the disputes between the gangs? Maybe they just need some harmony or something to settle the long-lasting feuds. What if I could provide the catalyst for that?"

"I don't know," She trailed.

"C'mon," Avalon pleaded with the head mistress.

"Nothing I say is going to change your mind?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No, no it's not."

"If you want to write a love story, then you should write a love story. Just be careful with these students- many of them have not had the easiest lives and I do not want more complications or violence than necessary."

Smirking, engrossed in the conversation, he leaned forward and stared at Ms. Faragonda. He pursed his lips and spoke, "As a previous author, it is appropriate to model characters after real life characters. If I had to choose two students here from different gangs, who should I direct my attention to?"

Taking matters into her own hand, she matched his own smirk. "Musa and Riven."

* * *

The first day of school always felt like the worst for Musa. She enjoyed the homework free summers, but most of all, she enjoyed the gang-free and violent-free summers. It was almost as if everyone had a mutual conception that during the summers the gang violence came to a halt and people were almost civil. It was quite weird actually to process how everything worked. Musa drew from memory that sometimes during various summers she would see Flora outside and she would give a small smile or wave. They were civil towards each other, or at least she liked to think so.

She stood by her locker, running her hands through her hair, getting out the few tangles that were forming while Brandon held her books like a gentlemen. Standing to her right was two of her great friends, Daphne and Bloom.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I hate these school uniforms," Musa groaned as she was straightening out her black pleated skirt. The fabric was too loose at the bottom and it was too tight around her waist. The elastic dug into her sides and the one side was constantly folding under and rolling.

"They could be worse," Daphne protested. "When I attended Sparx middle school growing up, the outfits were a thousand times worse. We had to wear puke green shirts and gray skirts that went down to our ankles." Daphne turned her head, ignoring the glare that Musa shot her. Sometimes there was no winning with her friend. Once Musa had her mind made up about something that was what she stuck with.

"Now Musa," Bloom smiled, "What is more your style? Leather pants, frayed tank tops, and combat boots?"

"I think there are much more suitable clothes out there."

"I also think you are overly picky," Daphne retorted.

"Don't hate me cause you ain't me," Musa rolled her eyes while shutting her locker door closed.

"You've definitely been spending way too much time with Layla," Brandon teased with a smile.

"Hey, no one asked you," Musa quickly grabbed her books out of her boyfriends and gave him a quit shove in his shoulder. Before she could step away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close into his body. She gave Brandon a sweet smile while her friends rolled their eyes at the affection the young Avenger was presenting Musa.

"I have British literature next," Musa changed the topic of discussion. "I hear we are reading Pride and Prejudice. If that is the case, this might be my new favorite class, even more than my ninth period study hall where I spend it in the empty music room."

The mention of literature excited both Bloom and Daphne. Their eyes widened and they shared a large grin between each other. "Literature," Bloom and Daphne squealed.

"Have you seen the new Professor? Professor Avalon? He is sexy," Daphne gleamed. She clasped her hands together and rocked back and forth on her black heels. When she was excited, she had the habit of rocking back and forth on her feet.

"To die for," Bloom placed her hand on her heart and dramatically threw her head back. As a natural dramatist and theater performer, she was always throwing in dramatic hand gestures.

"He's incredibly tall and muscular," Daphne gushed.

"Oh my gosh Musa, he has the prettiest gray eyes," Brandon grabbed her arm and sarcastically commented on the topic while rolling his eyes. Ever since they had arrived to school this morning, that is all he has heard from the female students was how incredibly sexy and attractive the new Literature Professor was. He could repeat word-from-word what every girl was saying.

"His hair is indigo, it looks sort of like yours," Bloom pointed towards Musa and laughed while playing along. Musa looked among her two friends and her boyfriend. Apparently she was missing the gossip of the school considering Brandon had heard about the new bachelor before she had.

"His smirk is so sexy Musa. His lips curl and he has small dimples, that are adorable. And the best part of this story is that you love Literature, therefore Avalon is going to love you. You should totally try and sleep with him," Daphne commented. "It is your job this semester to sleep with the professor."

"Hey," Brandon pouted.

"Sorry Brandon, let your girlfriend take one for the team," Bloom shrugged her shoulders. "Besides she has the most experience in that field."

"I do not," Musa gasped, shoving her friend towards the lockers.

"I'm sure Musa knows all the right spots," Thoren added into the conversation as he approached his group of friends. His response earned another gasp and a smack in the stomach from Musa.

"Musa knows all of the right spots huh?" A masculine voice stopped at the presence of the group of Avengers.

Musa turned her head so quickly to find Riven standing in front of them. "Riven," Musa's eyes hardened like glass.

Smirking, "C'mon babe, you know you missed me."

"Don't talk about her that way, asshole," Thoren was the first to defend his friend.

"I don't deal with you," Riven looked passed Thoren and met his dark eyes with Brandon's blue eyes. Brandon's scowl didn't lift from his face nor did he say anything. "Meet me out in the parking lot after school," Riven turned to walk away.

"And Darcy, if you look this way, you will find the a trifecta of losers," A high-pitched voice followed after Riven's. All heads turned to the right to find Stella and a new girl walking down the hallway towards their direction.

"You will figure out as the school years moves on, but this loser here is Bloom, this dumb one is Daphne, and that one right there, the slut, her name is Musa."

Musa rolled her eyes and stared down the Stella and Darcy. She carefully eyed Darcy, the woman looked very familiar. Where had she seen her before? She was clearly. There was something tugging on her memory and she couldn't recall what exactly.

"Nice to meet you," Darcy snided, while walking alongside of Stella towards the large group of Red Fountain Warriors across the hall.

"Bitches," Musa called after them. She clenched her fists and stared them down. Compared the past few years, she let Stella and the rest of the Warriors walk all over her, but this year was different. She was tired of putting up with their crap.

"Calm down, she says stuff like that to get on your nerves," Brandon calmly placed his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

She turned to him, sending him a sharp glare, "Oh and you are notorious for remaining calm," she napped. Filled with anger, she walked down the hall towards her literature class.

"I'll see you later?" Brandon yelled after her.

"No, no you won't," The girl hollered out of anger.

* * *

She took the back staircase towards the end of the building away from everyone. Barely anyone ever used the dim-lighted, dusty staircases. Musa found them best suitable when she needed some alone time and some space to walk.

She finally reached the hallway door that she needed. She walked past a few more lockers before reaching to her destination. Upon walking into the classroom, her nose wrinkled in disgust. The entire class was inhabited by members of The Red Fountain Warriors or students who were Switzerland- they had no gang affiliation whatsoever and they were not interested.

Her eyes wandered around the room and she stopped at the sight of Riven sitting on a table, leaning over talking to his friends, Timmy, Sky, and Stella.

Thankfully, there was an empty seat towards the front of the classroom where she quickly took her seat, not turning her head back. Normally Musa was thankful that she had exceptional hearing, except today, she was feeling the quite opposite. Her ears pricked as she could hear Stella talking about her on purpose, knowing that she would hear. Instead of responding, she gripped her phone tighter as she sent out a message to Bloom and Daphne.

"Welcome class," A deep, throaty voice emerged from the doorway. Musa tucked her phone into her pocket and met eyes with one of the most handsome professors she had ever seen. Daphne and Bloom were not lying, he was quite the picture.

"Ahh, Mr. Harrington. I presume you have a purpose for sitting on the table?"

Riven turned his head and stared at Avalon before responding. "No real reason."

Smirking, Avalon turned his head towards Musa. "Why don't you sit up front here next to Ms. Pennington. She looks lonely," He muttered before walking away towards his desk.

Relentlessly, Riven jumped off the table and scooped his stuff into his arms before walking over to the table. As he took the chair next to Musa, he was engulfed by her perfume and the smell of her shampoo. She made no effort to acknowledge his presence. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on Professor Avalon.

"I know most of you by studying your profiles, but I will be doing a roll call anyway," He murmured before bringing the clipboard towards his face.

...

Musa drowned out what he was saying- he mentioned attendance policies, cell phone usage, arguing in class, etc. He mentioned all of the same bullshit any other professor had reiterated every other year. She was going to have to mentally kick Daphne and Bloom for getting her hopes up for this professor and class.

Musa found it odd that Avalon kept staring over in her and Riven's direction. It was almost as if he placed Riven next to her on purpose.

"As a professor who is keen on face-to-face interaction and human connection, I want you to look at the person sharing a table with you. This person is your go to buddy for the rest of the semester. If you miss class and need notes, this is the person you go to. I want you to get aquainted with your buddy. So please, spend the next ten minutes getting to know the person next to you."

Instead of talking to Riven, Musa turned her head away from him and ignored his very existence. She pulled out her backpack and withdrew her planner for the upcoming year. She was penciling in her homework for the next few weeks and scheduling in her music practices. Sighing, she new she was going to be busy and with all of Brandon's extra rules this year for the gang, she wasn't quite for sure when she was going to have any free time.

"And you two have yet to talk," A tall shadow appeared in front of their table. In unison, the two both glanced up to find a man tapping his feet impatiently and scowling at them.

"We already know each other," Riven was the first to speak out of the two of them.

"What is each other's favorite book?" Avalon asked.

"Uhh, _Harry Potter_?" Riven shrugged his shoulders, replying with the first answer that came to his mind. Everyone loves _Harry Potter_ right?

"That's funny, Riven would have to read first," Musa snapped.

"Excuse me for not knowing what you read on a daily basis," Riven scoffed at the girl's previous remark.

"Well it seems to me like you two have a lot to talk about then. I suggest you get to know each other more, or I will make you go up to the front of the class and introduce each other. This is your buddy for the rest of the year, so you should become well acquainted with them."

"Okay," Riven slowly said. "Musa, what is your favorite book?" The tone of sarcasm dripped from his lips.

"Pride and Prejudice. The same book it has been for years Riven," Musa's tone suggested Riven should have known that. "And what is yours Riven?"

"You're right, I don't read. But if I do, I like Lord of the Rings," Riven paused. He continued while Musa was staring at him. "But, Dracula is okay at times too," Riven continued.

"Bram Stoker's version or some knock off?" She pressed for a further answer.

"I'm not stupid Musa. I have read a book in my life you know."

"Fine," She scowled. "Where do you want to go to school at next year?"

"I don't know. Haven't given it much of a thought," Riven shrugged his shoulders.

"Well you should," She urged.

"Let me guess, you're going to go to Gardenia University with your boyfriend?" Riven gave her a smirk, before flexing his arms behind his back.

"Actually, no. But good try," Musa hissed.

"I figured you would, you two are attached at hip," Riven instigated. He knew exactly what to say to make her temper rise.

"And you're just mad because I'm not attached at your hip," Musa growled before turning her head away from him.

"Whatever," Riven mumbled. He turned his head away from their conversation and he stared at the whiteboard for the rest of the class period with a sour look on his face.

Meanwhile, Musa continued filling in her agenda planner with upcoming events and assignments. She chewed on the end of her pencil and couldn't help but glance over in Riven's direction. She shouldn't feel guilty for anything, but yet she did.

From afar, Avalon watched the two. He shook his head, almost smiling. They were going to make wonderful characters for his novel.

Somewhere during the rest of Avalon's first day speech, Musa heard, "I have picked your groups for the semester project. I want you to have a thorough understanding of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and I want a reenactment of two scenes. I will assign the scenes at a later date- but I have already assigned your groups for you."

"In group one, Riven, Musa, Timmy, Sky, and Stella." Musa heard nothing else after that.

* * *

Brandon walked along the school yard towards the direction of the student parking lot. With a quick stride and determination, he and many of the Avengers, except for Musa, walked together in a pact towards the asphalt. They followed each other's stride until they approached a group of Red Fountain Warriors.

"Nothing like a good first day tradition," Brandon cockily said while smirking as he approached the group.

"Something like last year when I kicked your ass?" Riven affirmatively mocked.

"Close, but I believe something is wrong with your story," Brandon took a step towards the magenta haired teen.

"Not quite," Riven was within inches of Brandon's face.

"Harrington, this is for talking to my girlfriend earlier," Brandon threw the first punch, hitting Riven in the face, knocking his sun glasses off of his face.

Riven grabbed his nose out of pain. He staggered back and stared forward, seeing Brandon charging at him. Quickly, he lunged at him, tackling Brandon to the ground. He was on top of Brandon, throwing several punch at his face.

Brandon rolled slightly, using all of his strength to push the magenta haired boy off of him onto the grass next to the asphalt. Brandon plunged himself on top of Riven and the boys rolled around in the grass together, fighting one another.

Musa ran towards the group and pushed her way through. Shit, she panicked. Quickly, she turned towards Thoren and said, "Thoren, stop them. Griselda is coming," Musa pulled Thoren towards the circle where Brandon and Riven were throwing punches at each other.

"Okay, enough, enough," Musa hollered, before getting in the middle of the fight. Right when Musa stepped in the middle of them, Brandon cocked his fist back and lunged at Riven. By the time he saw Musa intervene, he couldn't stop his reaction.

Musa closed her eyes, defensively put her arms up to her head and held her breath, waiting for the blow. Instead of feeling the hit, she felt herself stumble out of the way. When she opened her eyes, she saw Riven take the hit for her. His hand was covering his eye.

"Musa, what the hell were you thinking?" Brandon turned his head towards his girlfriend. He was trying to cipher whether he was more mad that she stepped in front of the two for fighting or that Riven actually saved his girlfriend.

"I'm trying to save your asses from getting suspended," She hissed. "Griselda is on her way over here, so we need to disperse," Musa tugged on Brandon's arm towards his vehicle, but not before making eye contact with Riven. She nodded thank you before running away before the fierce discipliner suspended all of them. Gang violence was prohibited on campus and anyone caught doing so would be suspended, even worse, expelled. Without further adieu, everyone that was standing around took off running away from the fight scene.

Once she made it into Brandon's truck, Brandon turned towards her starting up his truck and aggressively said, "Never get involved in one of my fights again. Ever."

"Well excuse me, next time, I'm letting you get suspended," Musa snapped. She turned her head to her right and stared out the window in silence the rest of the way until they arrived at her house.

Seconds after Brandon pulled into her driveway, Musa already climbed out of his truck and slamming his truck door shut.

"Musa wait," Brandon turned off his engine, jumped out of his truck, and called after her as she was walking towards her back door.

"No," Musa snapped before turning back towards her door.

"Wait," Brandon apologetically pleaded with his girlfriend.

"I don't want to talk to you right now Brandon," Musa growled, pushing her front door open.

"I'm sorry," He began.

"Please go home, I'll call you later. I'm too pissed off at you right now to talk to you," She pushed him out the door and slammed the door in his face. Without looking back, she walked into the kitchen and heaved a sigh. So much for a good first day of senior year.

* * *

Sorry if the second part of this chapter seemed to lack focus. I focused majority of my effort in this chapter on the beginning and the start of the gangs. As the story progresses, you will see more history and more plot action and things like that.

Please read and review!


	5. Dance Inside

**Hello everyone**... it's been a little while since my last update. I've been really busy with school and haven't had as much free time as I thought. I do love this story, and I'm hoping I can update as frequently as possible.

To my wonderful reviewers, thank you: _Guest, Guest, A Ship Out of The Harbor, MM-5, Musalover, Guest, Pickles333, Guest, and SplendidForever, 0826._ Thank you again.

I'm trying to get this story moving, so this chapter is going to be a longer one with a lot of hefty substance in it. It's going to be moving a lot quicker/fast-paced after this chapter. So be prepared for a lot of action and a lot of drama because I have a lot planned.

* * *

 _I'll be fine, you'll be fine._  
 _this moment seems so long_  
 _Don't waste now, precious time_  
 _we'll dance inside the song_

 _-All American Rejects_

 **5 - Dance Inside**

After a long day of class, lectures, assigned homework, and "the back-to-school fight", Bloom heaved a sigh of relief and tossed her mesh bag onto the quartz counter. Hearing her stomach grumble, she reached for the refrigerator handle and pulled the door open. As she pondered what to eat, she shouted,"Mom, Dad, I'm home."

After hearing no response, Bloom wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion and slowly walked through the kitchen to the living room. Maybe they were distracted by watching television or didn't hear her?

When she entered into the living room, her parents were sitting on the blue couch next to each other. They made unusual glances between each other and silently sat next to one another. She noticed the way her dad's hand was gently placed of her mom's. She also noticed the way they sat straight up and barely made eye contact with her. It didn't take Bloom long to realize something was not right.

"Bloom," Her mother's typical chirpy voice was filled with uneasiness.

"Is everything okay? Did someone die? Did something happen to the flower shop? Is grandma okay?" Bloom frantically began spouting out questions. She couldn't wait for her parents to answer. The edgyness of the situation was too much.

"Bloom, honey, you should sit down. We want you to sit down for this one," Her father slowly said. Nodding her head and abiding to what her father suggested, Bloom took a deep breath and sat down in the blue recliner that faced the couch. Instead of relaxing in it as she normally would, she mimicked her parent's appearance- she sat straight up with her hands folded in her lap.

"We don't know how to tell you this," Her mother said softly.

"Unless someone died, I doubt it could be that bad," Bloom said half-humorous. Maybe if she could bring some comic relief into the conversation, she would feel better. Bloom watched her parents uneasy glances and it worried her even more. Normally they would respond to humor, but this time, they were non-responsive.

"Did someone die," Bloom raised her voice. She stood up, approaching her parents. "Are one of you going to die?" Her mind was racing with fear and the suspense was killing her.

"You're adopted," Her father's words rang through her ears. It was one of those moments where her whole word came to a stop and she almost let out a laugh. If their face's weren't so serious, she would have laughed it off.

After moments of silence and she finally regained consciousness, Bloom turned to her parents and questioned, "I'm what?"

"Bloom, we wanted to tell you. But we didn't know how too," Her mother's voice tried calming her.

"So why are you telling me this now?" Bloom raised her voice. Why did her parents wait until she was 17 to tell her? Why would they do this to her?

"Because your birth mother reached out to us today. She asked that she could get an opportunity to know you. She lives in the city and I was worried she would find you and tell you before we got a chance," Her mother's voice quivered.

"So you only told me because you were afraid of someone else telling me? You mean to tell me I've been living a lie," Bloom cried out. She stood up and began pacing around her living room, trying to clear her head of the news her supposed-to-be parents dropped on her.

Her father stood up to reach out of her, but she flinched away from his touch.

"Bloom," Her mother's once soothing voice was ear-splitting. If they lied to her about her whole life, what else have they been lying to her about?

"I need some air," Bloom turned around on her heels and darted for the door. She didn't bother to grab her keys or her phone. She ran out the door and raced down the street, not looking behind her. Once she was far enough away from her house, she walked along the streets what felt like hours.

She walked along the sidewalk and kicked any stones that were in her path. She walked to the nearest park that she found and she walked over to the swing. Sitting down on it, she began to cry. She cried for the news her parents told her, she cried for her parents that didn't know her, she cried for the stressful senior year that it was.

Bloom sat on the swing in silence until she felt rain drops. The universe must have heard her cries because it too was crying. The rain pelted from the sky and thunder echoed throughout the town.

Somewhere between the raindrops, Bloom gathered the courage to stand up. She was going to have to face Mike and Vanessa sometime. She couldn't call them "Mom and Dad" because they weren't. They were never her real parents and now her perceptions of them were forever changed. With each step she made towards her house, her legs felt heavier.

Distracted, she turned her head, seeing a truck hauling in her direction. Instead of moving as she knew she should, she stood frozen in the street, paralyzed by the forthcoming motion. Right when she closed her eyes for impact, she was pulled back by a pair of arms. She, along with the mysterious person fell back onto the group. Their limbs were tangled together. Before she even had a chance to look who saved her, a hand was in front of her. Slowly, she took the hand and was pulled back onto her feet.

When she looked up, she saw bright blue eyes and soaking wet blonde hair. Those blue eyes belonged to her enemy. They belonged to Sky Eracklyon. She stared into his eyes for a few more seconds before pulling away. Maybe she would have rather been hit by the truck then this situation?

"Are you okay?"Sky's throaty voice was not filled with haughtiness, instead it was captured with concern.

"You didn't have to save me," Bloom fiercely narrowed her eyes at Sky.

"Forget that, I'm asking are you okay?" He asked once again with sincerity.

"I'm fine," She pressed her lips together. Bloom turned around and walked a few steps in the opposite direction. However, she began feeling guilty of her behavior so she turned her head back to see Sky standing in the same place as he was before.

"Thank you," She called out over her shoulder.

Instead of responding with a "You're welcome" like Bloom expected, Sky yelled "Wait" and walked towards her direction.

"Yes?" Bloom raised her eyebrows at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He raised his eyebrows back at her.

"I will be," She was affirmative in her answer. She might not understand what is going on in her life, but she could handle it.

"Bloom," Sky said her name softly.

Turning her head one last time, she responded, "Yeah?

"I don't know what you are going through, but everything happens for a reason," Sky gave her a genuine smile before turning around and walking away.

Bloom stood still for a few seconds, taking in his words. She walked away with a small smile on her face and for almost a second, she forgot she was adopted.

* * *

( **A/N:** This scene takes place during the time Brandon and Musa fight in the last chapter as he is driving her home and when Bloom find's out she's adopted)

Listening to music, Riven drummed his fingers across the steering wheel. He was driving out of central Gardenia, and driving towards the east side because he agreed to drive Stella home to her house. Neither had said a word about the fight, but based upon Stella's facial reactions, he was expecting her to say something. It was silent for a few more minutes until he pulled into the entrance of the driveway of Stella's house. Her house was not as grandiose as Sky's, but it was just as graceful as his. Compared to Sky, Stella had the nicest house out of his group of friends.

Riven leaned over and entered the pass-code to Stella's driveway. "Fucking rich people," Riven muttered to himself as he waited for the large, wooden, wrought-iron gates to open so he could drive Stella to her door.

"I heard that," Stella rolled her eyes.

Sitting several hundred feet behind large fencing and washed brick, is a classic, fox meadow home. It's foundation is built upon several acres of land. The manor has a perfect classic white exterior with a matching interior. Riven drove slowly up the driveway around the manicured bushes and fountain until he rounded the cul-de-sac and was positioned directly in front of his friend's large porch with tall white pillars, holding a large marble arch.

"Whatever. I'll see you later?" Riven sighed, turning his head towards his friend. He was hoping she would just say 'yes' and he could leave without having a conflict with her. But he knew Stella was never that simple of a person. Before she could respond, Riven put his car into park as he knew he would be here for awhile.

Avoiding his first question, Stella began spit-firing her thoughts. "Riven, why didn't you let Brandon hit her?" Stella demanded.

Riven shook his head as he could hear Stella's heel tap against the floor of his car. "It was my instinctive reaction to block the hit," He shrugged his shoulders, not really looking to discuss the matter further.

"Well because of your "instinctive reactions" people are talking. This doesn't look good for you. Not on our team and not on theirs," Stella began to give him a lecture. "Need I remind you that she is an Avenger and we don't like them. We are Warriors."

Riven sighed, "I wasn't going to let Brandon hit her because you don't like her. She was trying to stop the fight to avoid any of us getting suspended. Sure, she stopped the fight because of her friends, but it still saved all of us the potential issue."

"You should have let him just hit her. She's a bitch anyway," Stella scoffed.

Riven wanted to say something else, however, he bit his tongue. "Stella, don't argue with me on this. I'm fully aware that we do not like them and we are Warriors. However, I had to think on my feet and I did what I thought was best. I didn't let her get hit because I know if the situation was reversed, Brandon would take the hit for you."

"He would not," Stella argued back.

"Yes, he would. I made a team decision and it was the best one I could make based upon the circumstances. So do me a favor and drop it," Riven snapped at the feisty blonde.

"Fine, just know I don't like her and nobody should be sticking up for her," Stella hissed before scooping her things up in her and reaching for the door handle.

"I'll see you later?" Riven gave her a quick smile.

"Maybe," Stella closed the door behind her and was welcomed by her family butler at the front door.

Riven knew Stella's "maybe" meant a yes.

* * *

Musa came to school earlier than she anticipated. Her resolution to end her dispute with Brandon ended in an even larger fight on the phone a few nights ago. As the week progressed, her and Brandon's fights had escalated immensely. It reached the point where she missed their Avenger dinner last night at his house with the other members.

In order to avoid Brandon further, she was now driving her own self to school. She came early, parked her car in the back of the parking lot and walked along the empty hallways until she found herself in the empty library. Something about the quiet library in the morning with her cup of coffee and a book sounded appealing.

Weaving in and out of books and tables, Musa walked to the back of the library to her spot. Her spot was occupied when she was investing her time into a new book, when she was not in the mood for people, when she was frantically trying to finish an assignment last minute, or when she was avoiding Brandon. In this case, it was the latter reasoning.

"Oh," Musa muttered as she stumbled across a very studious Riven who was tucked away in the arm chair, reading Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_.

"You can stay, I don't care," Riven carelessly said as he didn't take his eyes away from the text.

"Well thank you for your permission that I didn't really care to have, I'm going to leave now," Musa rolled her eyes before turning around to leave. What was worse than trying to avoid Brandon? Finding one of your worst enemies, reading your favorite book, in your spot.

"Look, I said you can stay," Riven stated slowly.

"I'd rather not," Musa spun around on her heels and was about to walk away. She didn't take a step forward because the conversation she tried to end, continued.

Doggearing his book and placing it onto the table next to him, Riven turned his head and stared at at Musa. "You're not in here because you have homework to do, you're in here because you're avoiding Brandon."

"I am not," She turned back around and gave him a deadpanned look.

"Fine, if you're not than why are you in here?"

"Because this is my spot. You are sitting in my spot. I read in here because it is quiet. I come to this spot weekly to read and do homework. I have yet to see you in the library. I'm surprised you even know where the library is," Musa crossed her arms over her chest and leaned in forward towards him.

"Temperamental, I like it," The words rolled off Riven's tongue. The corners of his lips curled into a demeaning smirk.

"I'm not temperamental!" Musa argued back, refusing the urge to smack the smirk off of Riven's face.

"Your temper is the reason you're in here," Riven raised his eyebrows in questioning.

She glared at him, but continued "Your existence is disrupting the peace that procures from this tranquil environment. Congrats, you just destroyed it."

"Are you sure you're talking about the library or are you talking about Brandon because I can't tell," Riven smirked. The look on her face suggested that she wasn't talking about just the library. Even after years, he still knew her and that was more than an accomplishment for him.

"Just shut up, I'm going to try and read," Musa groaned. It was apparent that the magenta-haired boy was trying to irritate her. So far, it was working.

"So you're staying here because you're avoiding your life problems," Riven overcorrected her.

Sitting down on the couch across from him, Musa breathed, "No Riven, I'm staying here because I want to read. Now please shut the fuck up,"

"That's what I thought, you're hiding out from Brandon." Riven smirked. "Avoiding him is only going to sink your paradise ship, you know that right?"

"Riven, please shut the hell up, before I punch you in your other eye," Musa spat. She had just finished observing his left eye. The same eye he previously took a blow for her yesterday. Suddenly, she felt guilty for the discoloration and purple bruising around his eye and his nose.

Rolling his eyes, Riven picked up his book from the table and continued to read in silence.

Musa reached into her bag and grabbed her Physics textbook out of her bag. She started reading the second chapter about linear and rotational motion. After spending several minutes of reading in silence, Musa placed her book on her lap and asked, "How's the eye?"

Placing his hand over his heart, Riven dramatically asked, "Is Musa Pennington, an Avenger, actually concerned about someone other than herself? I don't believe the day."

The sympathetic emotion washed away from her face and was replaced with annoyance. "You know what, I was going to say thank you for taking that hit, but now I'm not. You deserved it."

"Please Princess, I don't have time for this, I have to read for this literature class," Riven

"You have to read this great piece of art work for class? You should want to read this book," Musa argued.

"I can barely make it through the first page if you keep talking," Riven declared.

"Fine, I'm going to go read somewhere else. But next time, this is my spot. Don't make me fight for my territory, because I guarantee you won't win," Musa hissed. She stood up and gathered her belongings and walked away.

As Musa walked away, Riven smirked to himself. There was this thrill of arguing and bantering with Musa. She was so feisty and that was so appealing to him.

* * *

Brandon closed his locker door shut and leaned his head back up against it. What was supposed to be a rather decent week, turned out to be a rather shitty one.

"Ready to go to lunch?" Daphne asked. She stood next to Brandon's locker with her hand intertwined with Thoren's. She observed her friend closely as he stood their, looking frustrated and tired.

"Yeah," Brandon sighed before walking down the hall with his friends, listening to stories about their days. Gathering his food, Brandon walked through the cafeteria towards the Avenger section. Unlike most high school stereotypical settings, this cafeteria was split into two sections. One section was the Avengers and the other was designated for the Red Fountain Warriors.

He passed Riven's table and shot him a glare. The two made eye contact with each other until Brandon passed the table, walking towards his seat.

"So glad of you to join us for lunch," Brandon grumbled as his girlfriend took a seat next to him. This was the first time throughout the day that he had seen his girlfriend other than the same Physics class that they shared. She sat next to him as they were lab partners. Instead of saying anything to him, Musa heavily focused on writing her notes and excessively asking the teacher questions, again another noteably difference out of Musa.

Musa shot him a dirty look before standing up and grabbing her lunch bag, walking out of the cafeteria.

"Man, she is really angry with you. What did you do?" Layla questioned.

"Nothing," Brandon shrugged his shoulders.

"Please I know Musa, and she must be really angry with you," Layla countered.

"Did she say something to you?" Brandon picked up the sandwich and brought it to his mouth.

"No, but I think her nonverbal cues throughout the week have said more than her physically speaking," Layla answered firmly.

"I've never seen that girl so interested in a fucking bunsen burner in all my life," Techna joined the conversation form afar. Soon enough the entire table was pulling apart Musa's unusual behavior.

"I don't know why everyone is freaking out about it. So what she's in a bad mood, or hasn't been talking to everyone as much. Just take a fucking breath and let it go. It doesn't even matter, high school ends soon away," Bloom grumbled. She stared into her salad while everyone gave her surprising looks.

Instead of saying anything back to her outburst, Brandon gave his friend a sympathetic smile and asked "Bloom is everything okay?"

"Fine,"Bloom stood up and dumped her lunch into the trash. She was no longer hungry.

"God, what is with everyone today," Helia furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"It's that back to school fever, I'm telling you," Brandon shook his head and bit into his sandwich.

* * *

After Brandon's comment, Musa left the cafeteria and decided to eat her lunch on the rooftop where the garden was. She walked through the back part of the hallway and quickly approached the staircase that students were forbidden to use unless you were a part of the horticulture club. While most people were scared of Griselda, she wasn't exactly afraid. She knew her dad had enough power to keep her in school, regardless of the punishment.

She took a moment to take in the fresh air. It was a perfect day to eat lunch on the roof. It was a breezy, yet sunny day outside. She walked along the green house, observing the colorful flowers and plants that occupied the roof's space. She trailed her fingers along the glass panes and walked towards another one of her favorite spots in the school.

After taking in nature, she sat down on her favorite wooden bench. She pulled her lunch out of her bag and went to take a bite out of her sandwich until a masculine voice disturbed her.

"Eating lunch on the rooftop?" A deep voice questioned. Part of Musa was hoping it was Brandon there to make amends. Instead, it was the same reoccurring annoyance in her life: Riven Harrington.

"Riven," Musa groaned. She put her sandwich down and stared at him intently. Why was he following her and what could he possibly want.

"Musa," He crossed his arms.

"Why are you following me? You're getting on my nerves," She hissed.

"I think it is you who is following me."

"We aren't friends," Musa reminded him.

"Exactly, which makes talking to you all the more exciting," He rolled his eyes. Instead of walking away, he took a seat next to Musa on the bench.

"So what are you doing up here?" Instead of eating, Musa placed her sandwich back down onto the bench and stood up and separated herself from him. She leaned against the wall, with one foot on the ground while the other rested against the bricks.

"It's one of those days," Musa shrugged her shoulders and stared into the cloudy sky.

"Cigarette?" Riven held one out.

"I didn't peg you for a smoker and smoking on a rooftop Riven, that could get you expelled you know," Musa smirked.

"I don't normally smoke, but they were another Warrior's so I took the pack. I figured I couldn't let them go to waste."

"I'll take your finest cigarette," Musa leaned over and took one out of the pack from him.

"Now I didn't peg you to be a smoker," Riven lit the lighter and lit both his and Musa's cigarette.

"It'd be a shame to let these go to waste." Her lips curled into a smile as she repeated the words he said. It was a while before either of them spoke to each other. Instead, they stood on the rooftop, staring into the beauty around them.

"So why are you really avoiding all of your friends?" Riven turned his head to face hers.

"It's a long story," Musa heaved a truthful, yet frustrated sigh.

"Long stories tend to be drawn out," Riven reminded her.

"We aren't friends Riven," Musa made an effort to remind him.

"No but we used to be," He withdrew himself from the wall and walked away from her.

"You better eat, we have class soon," He called out, walking away from her once again.

Musa leaned against the wall and finished her cigarette. Riven Harrington never ceased to amaze her.

* * *

"Why do you smell like cigarette smoke?" Stella muttered as Riven sat on the desk next to her before the start of Professor Avalon's British literature course.

Shrugging his shoulders, Riven tossed his friends a small grin.

"You cannot get expelled Riven," Stella scolded before smacking him on the shoulder.

Sky rolled his eyes at his friend's stupidity. "You cannot possibly be that stupid Riven."

"If you guys keep yelling about it, I will get expelled," Riven rolled his eyes at his friends. "Anyway, dear Sky, please tell me how golfing with your father, Diaspro, and her father was?"

Letting out the sharpest groan, Sky began to tell his tale. "Well it was miserable. I swear she couldn't swing the club let alone hit the golf ball. And of course my father couldn't help but talk business to her father. It's like I'm already engaged to the girl."

"Dear Sky," Timmy next spoke up, earning a chuckle from Stella and Riven. "When is the wedding?"

"Your lucky we are in class," Sky laughed. "I really wish Diaspro would develop a sudden interest in a new person. Why not a duke or a prince from Europe? Seems more applicable if you ask me."

"Mr. Harrington, I believe your desk is over there with Ms. Pennington," Avalon's throaty voice began the start of class.

In response to Professor Avalon's words, Riven turned his body and jumped down from his friends' table. He scooped up his bag and proceeded towards the front of the room where Musa was seated. He eyed her as he walked towards her. She was leaned over, her face practically buried into a book.

"Hey," Riven spoke softly as leaned in towards Musa.

Rolling her eyes she continued to read and ignored his words.

"What is this?" He asked.

Sighing, Musa placed her book on the table. "It's called a book Riven."

"No, this," Riven picked up a packet of sugar tablets that was resting near her pile of textbooks and papers.

"They are sugar tablets and I get low blood sugar," Musa spoke about it as if it were not an issue.

"Are you a diabetic?" Riven asked curiously.

"No, I just get low blood sugar sometimes."

"Since when?"

Placing her book on her table, Musa sighed. "Three years ago I passed out during one of my music courses."

"I think I vaguely remember that," Riven drew from his memory.

"Cool," Musa responded back.

"Wait, you smoked a cigarette when you could have future diabetes?" Riven whispered with an eye roll.

"God Riven, I'm not dying. It was one," Musa rolled her eyes.

"Whenever you two are done talking, I think it would be best to continue working on your group projects," Avalon waved his arms in the air, signaling to start working.

Riven felt all eyes on him from his fellow Warriors. Was he talking to Musa too much? Was he actually being friendly towards her?

Musa turned her chair as Sky, Timmy, and Stella approached their table.

"So we need to recreate a scene from _Pride and Prejudice_ ," Stella grumbled, reading from the paper directions.

"Alright Musa, since this appears to be your favorite book, talk us through this bullshit," Riven grumbled, turning towards her.

* * *

It was another Eracklyon family gathering. Thoren openly communicated with his family, putting on the best facade he could. Knowing his demeanor would please his parents, he aimed to do his best.

Thoren and Daphne rounded the marble wall and entered into the ball room, where all of the Eracklyon socialelites gathered discussing their finest business deals and the world politics. Despite the obvious tension, it was a gathering where you embraced each guest with a small and a handshake or a hug and then cursed them behind their back.

"Your dress is cute," A high-pitched voice spoke up several feet away.

Turning their heads, Thoren and Daphne saw a tall blond approaching them.

"Diaspro, thanks," Daphne said in a pseudo voice as she leaned in, giving the girl a side hug. She didn't know much about Diaspro other than she was an interest for Sky and his family business and she didn't live in Gardenia. Her parents often flew into Gardenia, but she was not a local resident within the area.

"Is that a Valentino?" Diaspro raised her eyebrows, observing the exquisite fabric.

"Yes, I did some modeling for their company and they gave me clothes from their newest line. It will be released next month," Daphne responded with a confident smirk.

"I must get one," She said excitedly before calling Sky's name and waving him over.

"Look at Daphne's dress, it's a new Valentino," Diaspro gushed, wrapping her arm around Skys'.

"Yes, it's quite nice," Sky smiled graciously at Daphne and Thoren.

"Honey," Diaspro turned to Sky.

"Yes?"

"I'm inviting them out on the yacht with us next weekend. Thoren, Daphne, you must come out with us. We would love to have you. I can send my driver to pick you up, yes?"

One rule of being a socialelite in Gardenia was you never turn down an invitation. "We would love to," Thoren grinned, knowing how to get to his former cousin.

Thoren and Daphne watched Sky's nonverbal cues. His lips curled into a fake smile and stared Thoren down.

Like a respective socialelite, Sky extended his hand out to Thoren to shake. "We look forward to having you two."

Returning his hand shake, Thoren smirked, "Likewise."

"She obviously has no idea how this city works," Thoren laughed into Daphne's ear once Sky and Diaspro walked away.

"I am actually excited for this form of torture," Daphne laughed as Thoren grabbed her hands, pulling her to the dance floor.

Leaning into her ear, Thoren whispered, "Remind me to see how nice this Valentino is later tonight."

* * *

So this is the end of CH 5. I've had this chapter written since October, however, I was trying to tease out some ideas. I know this was a really long delay, which I apologize. I've been in sort of a writer's block, which I have figured out.

Preview for the next chapter: The Black Circle makes their appearance once again!

Things are going to start picking up. I am estimating around 30-40 chapters!

Thank you for reading and please read and let me know what your thoughts are!


	6. Fallin Apart

Hello everyone... thanks for the endless continuation for this story.

Thank you to Stellabrellalover, guest, guest, cherry156, guest, guest, pickles333, for your wonderful reviews!

I always get excited when writing this story. It's something I thoroughly enjoy as there is a lot going on/planned for the future for this story.

* * *

 _You say that you're leaving_  
 _Say that you don't need him_  
 _And I'll I do is give and you just take_  
 _I guess that I knew it_  
 _I can't make it through it_  
 _But I'm gonna try this anyway_

 _-All American Rejects_

 **CH 6 - Fallin Apart**

It was a breezy Saturday morning when Daphne and Thoren arrived at Diaspro's family yacht. Hooked onto the crafted dock, was the Timur Bozca, luxurious, black swan yacht. While he knew that Sky's family as well as his own had money, this was something he had not even seen or could measure against. The superstructure was truly impeccable: the design was elegant, protruding a euphoric atmosphere.

"Wow," Thoren commented, observing the geometrical structure of the yacht.

"She's a beauty right?" Sky commented affirmatively.

"Certainly is," Thoren muttered, walking around the dock, capturing all of it's angles. "Daphne, see this?" Thoren pointed, "It has four engines to generate over 23,000 horsepower."

"You know a lot about boats," A toned man in his mid-twenties stepped off the boat.

"I know a few things," Thoren smirked, extending his hand. "Thoren Eracklyon, nice to meet you."

"Doradil, Captain of this ship," He matched Thoren's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"And you are?" His attention turned towards Daphne.

"Doradil, this is Daphne, Thoren's girlfriend," Diaspro nudged Daphne in Doradil's direction.

"Nice to meet you," Doradil took Daphne's hand and shook it next.

"The pleasure is all mine," Daphne was excellent at flattering people and making small talk with people outside of her circle. Musa always told her it was a "valuable skill."

"Ready to take this beast out on the water?" Doradil turned to look at Thoren and Sky.

"Ladies first," Thoren motioned for Diaspro and Daphne to step aboard the ship first.

Doradil was last to aboard the yacht, unhooking the large ropes from the sturdy dock. "I'll start the engines and we will be on our way. I'll send Luna out to serve you drinks."

"It was so nice of you to invite us out on your yacht, Diaspro," Daphne smiled as she sat down next to Thoren on the white plush couch.

"Please, it was our pleasure," Diaspro scoffed. "It's not everyday that Sky is able to spend time with me and his family. It's about time you bring some of your friends around," She smirked.

"They are the greatest friends," Sky responded, giving his cousin a smirk. His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but as usual, Diaspro failed to pick up on his vocal cues.

"Luna," Diaspro shouted.

"Yes Miss Gem," Luna appeared from the interior of the ship.

Without even looking up, Diaspro told her, "I'd like a margarita on the rocks with sugar- you know how I like them. Daphne here will take one as well and whatever the guys here want. Make it quick."

"Yes, Miss Gem. What can I get for you two?" Luna's voice did not show aggravation towards

"Us girls are going to go to the front of the ship and tan, why don't you two talk about whatever men talk about," Diaspro pulled.

"I'll be over here if you need me babe," Thoren yelled after his girlfriend turned around, shooting him a look of desperation.

"Your poor girlfriend," Sky laughed.

"I know," Thoren moved from the seat that was positioned next to Sky's and sat across from him. He crossed his arms and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes, blocking the beaming sunlight.

"So," Sky shrugged.

"Please don't try and talk small. I'm here because it's the polite thing to do," Thoren matched his eyes with his cousins. Brown clashed with blue and the two stared at each other for awhile, not moving from their spots. They didn't speak again until Luna returned with beers for them.

"Thank you," Thoren and Sky said in unison.

Feeling the tension, Luna removed herself from the situation and headed back towards the interior of the boat.

"Alright and I'm trying to be polite by making small talk. I don't know if you were raised by wolves, but that is how you do it on our world," Sky growled.

"Our world, try your world. I don't want anything to do with this world," Thoren snided.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but just like me, you also have a future position in this social-elite world," Sky said with amusement. His cousin was just like Cordatora and in a way he envied him. He wished he didn't care about the social status and the patriarchy. He wished he could dump Diaspro on a whim and not care. He wished he could go to a small private Liberal Arts college in the Midwest. But he didn't have those options. For his parents had a plan for him and he was destined to follow those plans.

Ignoring his cousin, Thoren slid his sun glasses down over his eyes, extended his chair all the way back, and laid there, soaking up the sun.

* * *

"Alright, this week's meeting is about self-defense," Riven barked. "If you cannot defend yourself, than what good are you doing?" He stood in a defensive stance with his knees bent and arms raised, exemplifying some of the strategies one could take to defend his or her self.

Riven's eyes roamed the Warriors. Many of the existing members knew self-defense skills, some better than others, but the new member's faces were coated in blank stares and confusion. A few furrowed their eyebrows, looking confused.

"There is a method to self-defense. It's not something you hope happens when you get into a fight," Riven continued, trying to clarify for the inexperienced newcomers.

"You will encounter situations where you do need back-up," Riven glanced to his side, ensuring his right-hand man Sky was there. Of course, Sky stood next to Riven, aiding in his backup. Sky's lips curled into a smile, signaling to the time he came to Riven's rescue, wrestling a knife from a member of the Black Circle.

"Riven, have you ever needed help?" A small voice spoke up from the back. Riven eyes scanned the room until he locked eyes with a freshman with piercing blue eyes.

"One, speak up when you are talking. There is nothing to be intimidated by," Riven reminded the group. "Second, yes, I've needed help in many situations. Fortunately, Sky here, is my partner both in this room and on the battlefield.

 _After a few punches, Riven felt another person veer over to him from the side, sending a kick to his rib cage. Wincing in pain, he stumbled backwards, placing his arms in front of his face. He was losing the battle-two against one was never good odds-but he was going to keep on fighting. He was a fighter and that was what he did. He jumped back, barely missing the blow that was about to strike._

 _"Hey, no need to take on two people at once," A louder voice emerged from behind him. Trusting his ears, he smirked, jumping a few steps back until he met another freshman, a new Warrior, just like himself._

 _Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Riven breathed, "I've got the brute," Riven pointed to the man who had just kicked him in the ribs._

 _"They're both brutes," Sky let out a sharp laugh, eyeing both of the men._

 _"You take that jackass and I'll take this," Riven pointed towards the man in the black beanie with the knife._

From then on, Riven and Sky always had each others backs, regardless if they were in a fight themselves.

Today we are going to be focusing how to punch. That seems basic, I know. But when you get the basics down, we will advance."

Once all eyes were on him, he motioned for Sky to move next to him. "Sky is going to be my sparring partner for this demonstration." Sky placed his hands up in defense.

Slowly, Riven extended his right arm into the strike area. Riven and Sky's demonstration grew quicker as Riven picked up the speed with his punches.

"This punch is the jab. It can be thrown from several different positions. It is typically a straight punch thrown from the lead hand of your body. This punch, like all punches require power. Power commonly comes from stepping into the punch," Riven acted through the motion slowly so everyone could see. "As you step into the punch, you rotate the hips followed by the torso, shoulder, and wrist just prior to striking," Riven confirmed.

"Myself, Stella, Flora, Timmy, Nabu, Roy, and Jason will be around to help with the formation," Riven headed first towards Darcy. His attention directed towards her was mostly an act of guilt as he hadn't spent much time with her, even though he was her mentor.

"Want to spar?" Riven raised his eyebrows in Darcy's direction.

"The question should be, do you want to spar with me?" Darcy mocked.

Darcy and Riven traded off being the fighter and the guard. After several minutes of throwing punches and blocking them, Riven and Darcy wiped the beads of sweat off of their foreheads.

"Wow you can fight," Riven eyed Darcy. "Where did you learn how to fight like that? That's not something that an average person knows how to do."

"My dad owned a boxing studio. He taught me all I know. And that's not all I can do," Darcy gave him a smile as she stretched out her arms.

Riven raised his eyebrows at her eagerly and walked past her, surveying the room.

"Looks like somebody has the eyes for you," Stella casually said as she leaned against the wall as Riven walked by.

Turning his body, Riven stuck out his arm pushing Stella back into the wall.

Stella was quick on her feet. She turned around, avoiding the fall she would have taken from Riven's initial push. Without thinking, she sent a kick towards Riven's stomach. He responded with an "oomf" as she kicked him in the stomach.

"That's what you get for pushing me," Stella snapped and "because, she has been eyeing you all night. I think you're into her."

In a quick motion, Riven picked up Stella and threw her over his shoulder, "I think you're wrong."

"Put me down Riven Harrington or so help you God," Stella screeched, gathering the eyes of their friends.

Afar in the room, Sky stood in the wall with Timmy watching their friends have fun and play around with each other. It wasn't often Riven showed a soft side of him, but he had one for their blonde friend.

"Timmy, you okay?" Sky questioned, noticing the concerning look on his friend's face.

"I don't know, something is off with Darcy. How does someone fight that well?" He watched from afar, narrowing his eyes in on her. Something wasn't lining up right.

"Just relax Timmy. Don't be so skeptical. You're just mad that she could easily beat you in a battle," Sky teased his friend.

Still noticing his friend's discomfort, Sky spoke again, "Riven has a good judge of character. He wouldn't lead us wrong. You know that right?" Sky looked his friend in the face.

"You're right," Timmy sighed, pushing his thoughts into the back of his mind.

* * *

"So glad of you to join us," Brandon sarcastically said as Musa was the last Avenger to emerge from the stairs. He hadn't even noticed she was there because she was beyond late for a last year.

She shot him a frustrated look and took a seat next to Daphne.

"Is everything okay?" Daphne leaned over to her friend and whispered into Musa's ear.

"Fine," Musa grumbled, crossing her arms, not trying to make a bigger scene than what she already had.

"What do we need to go over today?" Brandon stood at the front of the table and observed his group of Avengers.

Helia stood up, shuffling around a stack of papers. He cleared his throat and began speaking, "One thing we were talking about last meeting is how we need to start surveying our territories in the city. As we all know, we each have our own designated territory and we do not step upon each other's territory unless it's for specific situations. Four years ago, the other generation of Warriors, Black Circle, and us, we agreed upon designated territories. We need to be sure we are keeping those treaties and be on the lookout of who is breaking those treaties. Word on the street has it, there has been a lot of crossing treaties. We need to keep enforcing what was put in place to avoid what happened four years ago." Everybody knew the event Helia was talking about. It was hard to forget.

"This week we will put together a few lookout teams and we will being surveying. I also think we should start putting up cameras. It's been a silent year between us so far, and that can't be good." Brandon followed Helia's lead.

"I think we need to do some inside spying," Brandon continued.

"Spying?" Bloom was the next one to speak. "What type of spying?

"We need to put a camera up in the Warrior's meeting area," Brandon. "I've thought a lot about it and we want to know every one of their secrets. Rumor has it, they also have a book of Warrior secrets. One that stems back from when our parents were apart of the groups. If we can get their secrets, then we can have the ultimate power.

Musa looked up at Brandon incredulously. "And how do we go about creating a plan about stealing that book or putting cameras up in the Warriors commonplace? We would have to sneak into probably the most guarded building in Gardenia. Not to mention his parent's have high security as they have a lot of power here in Gardenia. We are setting ourselves up for failure. And we don't even know if this book exists," Musa exclaimed.

"I agree with Musa - It's risky. But I think I have an idea," Thoren tapped his fingers along the wooden table. Most avengers, eager in excitement, leaned forward on the table, staring at the leads.

"As you all know, Sky's family and my family are related. In two weeks, there is the annual masquerade gala party at his house. I can get a few of us on the list to attend without an issue," Thoren proceeded.

"That's brilliant," Techna rose out of her seat. "If we figure out who else is going and what they are wearing, we can figure it out and mock their outfits. We will have an easier time to sneak around the gala if some of us are in disguise based on the Warriors.

"Genius," Brandon walked around the table and gave Techna a high-five.

"We shall start devising a plan immediately."

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After everyone had left, Musa was the last to stay. She turned towards Brandon and heaved a long sigh. She was tired of fighting as they had been fighting non-stop for over a week now. She had been avoiding him, but she knew she couldn't do that forever.

"I don't even know why we are fighting," Musa admitted.

"Well I don't either," Brandon responded.

"You've kinda been an ass since I've been back from Europe," Musa proclaimed. She watched his discontent turn to anger. Maybe calling him an ass was the wrong phrase of words.

"And you've been distance since you've been back," He raised his voice louder than hers.

Musa wrinkled her eyebrows, "I've been trying to adjust back to being home and this."

"What do you mean this?" Brandon took a deep breath before asking. He wasn't sure if he would like the answer or not.

"What do you think I mean?" Musa retorted.

"Us?" Brandon found the words to say.

"No, to this," Musa pointed towards his basement. "I have spent nearly three months without fighting and anger and I come back and that's all anyone thrives on around here. I don't know how this environment can possibly be productive," Musa admitted. She had been hesitant to address what was on her mind, but she couldn't hold back the tension she had been grappling with.

"You're an Avenger," Brandon reminded her.

"I know that," Musa played with her hands, nervous to what Brandon was going to say back.

"Then what's the problem," Brandon's tone dripped with annoyance.

Sighing in frustration, Musa started by saying "I." She searched for the right words. How do you say, _I don't know if this is what I want to do forever?_

Crossing his arms over his chest, Brandon responded, "I'm not following."

Before she could censor herself, the words came out of her mouth, "I don't want to be an Avenger forever."

"Well, this is everything I am. My sister didn't die for nothing and if you can't see that, then I don't know what to tell you." Brandon's voice raised from loud to now yelling.

Musa opened her mouth to respond but she didn't. Instead she stood at the flat of Brandon's basement stairs and observed him intensely. He was clearly upset and she didn't want to make the situation worse. She understood better than anyone what happened on that day when Brandon's sister, Roxy, died. She saw the pain he felt and she knew what he was doing was his way of healing and seeking justice.

After an eerie amount of silence, Brandon spoke again. "Bloom told me she saw you with Riven on the roof. Want to tell me what this is about?"

Musa furrowed her eyebrows, and asked the daunting question, "What do you want to know?"

"You know infatuating with the other is not allowed. We HAVE strict rules, Musa. And if you want to be a Warrior, then you're a traitor. That's how this world works," Brandon emphasized the 'have'.

Musa opened her mouth to defend herself, explain the real situation, but Brandon cut her off. "Do you know what it's like to hear things about your girlfriend that you didn't want to know?"

"I was up there and he happened to come up, not knowing I was up there. He left after he saw me up there. I don't understand why you are so insecure. I'm starting to think your insecurities have nothing to do with me, but you're taking them out on me," Musa hissed. She was tired of this conversation. She turned away from him, scooped up her bag from the chair, and quickly ascended up his basement stairs.

She groaned as she heard Brandon's feet quickly behind her.

"I'm not insecure," Brandon argued.

"You're insecure of Riven, for what reason I don't know. When have I shown interest in him?" She pandered.

"Because lately you have been spending more time with him and talking to him than you have the last three years. That doesn't seem weird to you Musa?" Brandon questioned.

In a whirlwind, she turned around to find herself face-to-face with Brandon. "I can't right now with you," Musa snapped.

"Fine, go. You're going to anyway," Brandon shouted- he was tired of fighting with her.

"Okay," Musa turned around and walked towards the road.

"What are you doing?" Brandon ran up to her, realizing she was going to walk home.

"I'm walking home, don't talk to me," Musa growled, kicking lose stones in his driveway.

"Musa, wait," Brandon ran up to her and grabbed her arm.

"Just leave me alone," Musa screamed at him and pulled her arm out of his grasp. She watched as he stopped and stared at her. His face fell into a look of shock and his eyes read it all. Musa sighed, turning around and walking away from him. Very rarely did they ever fight, let alone had she ever screamed at him at the top of her lungs.

He didn't follow her nor say anything to her as she walked along the side of his road. It was growing dark out and she knew she would be caught in the quick change of the sky.

* * *

"You should really stop coming to my house," Helia spoke to the brown ball of fur that was nuzzled up in his arms. He rang the doorbell and waited on the porch as the lightening lit up the sky.

"Helia," The brunette's voice exhilarated her confusion after she opened the door. Moments after saying his name, she looked down at his arms and recognized why he was at her house.

"Hey, ahh, your cat was on my porch again and it's about to storm. I didn't want to leave him over there," Helia held out the brown cat in the air towards her.

"That was kind of you, thank you," Flora took Chatta and placed him inside her house, closing the screen-door behind her. "He's always getting out," She laughed softly.

"What's your cats name again?" Helia asked curiously. This was the third time this month he had brought the brown ball of fluff back to Flora.

"His name is Chatta," Flora responded.

"Well I'm sure Chatta will be back at my house," Helia let out a laugh. "I'm going to go now before I get caught in this storm," He turned his body around while saying his goodbye.

* * *

It was dark out and after a long day of being at the Avengers meeting, Musa was stalking back to her house out of anger. She had made great progress in a short amount of time- she was thankful for having long legs-but she still had a long way to go. It was going to be a long walk and if she wasn't so pissed at Brandon, she'd go back and beg for a ride. At least she was getting some cardio... something that she probably needed.

She sang as she walked, letting her emotions pour out of her. She felt a few rain drops splatter against her skin she tried picking up the pace even quicker as she started seeing lightning light up the sky, following by drums of thunder. If she didn't make it home soon, she was going to get caught in the storm.

Musa turned her head as her ears picked up on the sound of a car driving. She stepped off of the road, into the grass, waiting for it to pass. She watched as it sped past her and then the car slammed on its' breaks, screeching the tires. She furrowed her eyebrows, tensed her body and pulled her jacket closer. She kept her eyes on the car and was ready to fight in case someone was going try and abduct her.

The vehicle slowly backed up, until it was parallel with her body. The passenger window rolled down and Musa had to squint her eyes to make out the dark shadow sitting in the drivers side.

"Would you like a ride?" His voice was rough, but it was pleasant.

Musa raised her eyebrows at him and laughed sharply. "From you? No."

"Come on get in the vehicle," His voice was almost pleading.

She continued walking past him, not saying another word. He followed her slowly until she turned to face him again. "I am fine Riven, I don't need a ride," Musa insisted, despite her worries of being in the dark by herself.

"Musa it's dark out and you're walking along a busy road with barely any road lighting. If I wouldn't have been paying attention to the road, I could have hit you."

Musa was going to continue arguing, but the she saw a huge flash of lighting trickle through the sky with a loud boom of thunder echo her ear drums. In a matter of moments, large rain pellets dropped from the sky, soaking her arm.

"Are you going to get in now?" Riven asked as the rain started to pick up.

"Okay, but only because it is raining," Musa murmured. She climbed into his vehicle, staring at the road. She listened to his rock play in the back ground and didn't say a word to him until Riven spoke to her.

"Where do you live again?" Riven asked, not tearing his eyes away from his car.

Ignoring the slight annoyance to his question, Musa pointed towards the sign far ahead. "Make a right onto Harmonic Dr." They were best friends- he spent most of his childhood at her house. He couldn't have "forgotten" where she lived. She didn't buy it - but this was what they did. They made each other hurt in ways that they didn't know they could feel. They all made each other feel that way. Musa sat in silence watched as the rain splattered against Riven's windshield.

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.

Flora was about to tell Helia goodbye until she saw a black car approaching. She knew that car from anywhere as it was her leaders Rivens'.

In a quick motion, Flora grabbed Helia's arm and pulled with him down with her, behind the small ottoman that they had on their porch. That was the only physical barrier that could possibly block them from a view. She was praying if Riven drove by, the tree in front of their yard would block his view from them.

"That's Riven's car," Flora whispered, clearing up any confusion Helia might have had. They couldn't get caught together. Despite the situation, she knew her leader would not be accepting. They waited for Riven's car to drive by, but realized the engine came to a stop. Flora cranked her neck to look through the small gap between the ottoman and the house.

"You have really quick reflexes. Why is Riven at Musa's house?" Helia whispered. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and drew from memory the last few hours. An hour and a half ago, he was at Brandon's house with Musa and now Riven was at Musa's house. Was he picking her up? Was he dropping her off?

"I don't know," Flora whispered back. Their bodies were pressed together and they watched quietly from their hiding spot. Suddenly, lightening lit up the sky and large hail balls poured from the sky. Helia and Flora, ducked their heads, drawing their bodies closer as they avoided any rain and hail that hit the ledge of the porch, splashing against their feet and legs.

"I doubt he is leaving his car for awhile now," Helia speculated. If he was in that position, he wouldn't enter in the storm.

"Thank goodness for this roof above us," Flora pointed above them.

"That would be absolutely miserable," Helia was suddenly thankful of the roof above them.

"So, how is your girlfriend?" Flora asked, trying to sustain the conversation.

"Things are..." Helia looked for the right words to say. "Complicated."

"Oh," Flora responded quietly.

"I don't know why I just told you that," Helia regretted even talking to Flora. With her it was easy; with her she understood; with her she listened.

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.

"So how is Ho-Boe?" Riven asked referring to her father.

"I'm not for sure, I haven't seen him since we got back from our trip," Musa admitted. It was always easy to admit things to Riven as he somehow understood in a more profound way than Brandon did. Brandon never asked her questions about her father - it was always her insecurities speaking for her around Riven.

Riven nodded his head, "Well I'm sure he wants to be around," Riven said reassuringly. While his father was quite different than Musa's, he knew deep down how much it bothered her that her father was never in the picture.

"Yeah, thanks," Musa was going to step out of the car, but a flash of lighting lit up the sky and instantly hail fell from the sky.

"I guess I'm going to wait this out," Musa let out a small laugh.

Riven smirked, it really was his type of luck. Lately, the universe had been putting Musa back into his life and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. "Alright Musa, I guess in the next few seconds until this stops, we ask each other questions. What're you looking most for in your future?"

"Getting out of Gardenia. You?"

Running his hands through his hair, Riven breathed, "Same. I want to leave this place."

"Nobody leaves this place," Musa breathed.

"Nobody," Riven affirmed.

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.

"He's still in the car," Flora confirmed while straining her eyes to see what was happening.

"Flora, I'm sorry, my arm is really cramping," Helia moved his arm out from behind his back and casually extended his arm over Flora's body.

"I wonder what is going on," Flora changed the subject, trying to ignore the blush that was creeping upon her cheeks and his arm that was wrapped around her waist.

"I don't know," Helia answered nervously. It was true, he wasn't for sure why Riven was in contact with Musa, an Avenger.

"The passenger car door opened. Musa is getting out," Flora whispered as she studied the situation in front of her.

While staring through the crack, Chatta jumped on the window from the inside, his body slamming into the glass, starling both Helia and Flora. "Oh my god," Helia and Flora said in unison as they both jumped. Quickly, Flora placed her hand over Helia's mouth, preventing him from saying another word as Musa was staring directly at her ottoman. Could she see them? Flora was sure Helia could feel her racing heart beating out from her chest.

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Musa stared at Flora's porch for a few seconds, swearing that she heard a familiar voice. She shook her head when she briefly saw a cat in the window.

"I thought I heard something, must have been that cat" Musa said while still looking at Flora's house. After hearing nothing else or seeing anything else, she slowly turned her head back to Riven.

"Or just my imagination. Thank you, Riven," Musa said before closing his door. She didn't watch him drive away, instead she darted towards the inside of her house. The last thing she needed was another Avenger confronting her about being around Riven, someone who was not in her group.

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They watched Musa close the door and quickly scurry into her house. Flora and Helia remained still, waiting for Riven's car to leave. He exited the driveway when Musa entered inside her house. He drove in the direction he came.

"Ahh, sorry about that," Flora blushed slightly, letting go of Helia.

Making sure the coast was clear, Helia stood up, brushing off his legs from the collection of dust from the porch. "It's cool, I'm glad you have quick reflexes." Helia searched for the right words to say.

"No worries, this never happened," Flora confirmed for him. She knew what he was going to ask. It was better nobody knew that Riven dropped Musa off at her house. The less conflict, the less others talked, the better.

"Right, well I'm going to head back to my place now. Thank you Flora," Helia turned around and ran down her porch steps and entered into the abyss of rain. Suddenly, he felt very uneasy about a lot of things.

* * *

Across the town of Gardenia, Duman, Darcy, and Mandragora sat around the circled table in the back of a lowly-lit pub.

"You will never guess what I captured today," Duman stated, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Please, what productive thing could have you possibly done today?" Darcy snided, rolling her eyes.

Raising his voice, Duman fought back, "And pretending like you are a Warrior is productive? Do you even have worthwhile information to share?"

"Would you two stop fighting?" Mandragora vociferated while taking another puff of his cigarette. Glaring at the two, he put his feet upon the table and waited for them to claim their progress over the past few days.

"For people who act like they have it all together, they really do not. I have been following them and taking photos," Duman continued, while turning his back to Darcy.

"You're taking photos?" Darcy started back in but quit when she saw the anger that lit up in Mandragora's eyes.

Letting out a sharp laugh, "I've been following them around. Look at these photos that I have taken," Duman opened a manila envelope and slowly pulled out the photos, building suspense around him. One by one, he showed photos of the Avengers with the Warriors.

"Musa climbing out of Riven's car. Interesting," Darcy stared at the photo, feeling a sense of inner-rage. She had been working hard for weeks now to get the attention Riven. She had to prove to Mandragora that she could do this- she needed his approval.

"The best way to take down the Avengers," Mandragora's eyes lit up and held the printed out photos in his rugged hands, "Is to send these to their groups when we have enough."

"You're brilliant," Darcy shook her head in disbelief. Duman had actually accomplished something worthwhile.

"We are going to break them up, one by one. Continue spying on them and capturing photos of them together. When the time is right, we will send them a package of the photos to each group. Then we will watch as they burn and fight with each other. When the time is right, we will attack. We will do it for Ogron," Mandragora victoriously held his glass in the air, cheering for the victory that was coming their way.

* * *

Masquerade gala. Breaking into the Warrior's meeting space. Spying. The Black Circle has a lot of plans. I hope you all are excited for the upcoming chapters!

Thank you everyone who keeps reading this story. I have a lot planned for it!

As always, please review. I really want to know your thoughts and ideas as I take them in consideration when writing!


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